If there is an electricity shortage in the coming winter, we may have to resort to rotating power cuts. For example, someone who lives near a hospital would be more likely to avoid them than others.
in Finland we are now preparing for rotating power outages that may be ahead in the winter in order to guarantee sufficient electricity. They could last about two hours at a time.
Rotating blackouts would be the last resort to avoid a major outage that could to lead to the blackout of the whole of Finland.
Read more: This is how Finland would go dark even for days in the middle of the coldest winter: “Big shock”
However, not all locations – and all households – would be affected by possible rotating power outages.
The most essential objects for the functioning of society are tried to be excluded from power outages.
A power cut cannot be targeted with the precision of an individual user, but the entire line outlet goes out of service at once. Up to several thousand electricity distribution objects can belong to the same line outlet, says Fingrid’s control room manager Arto Pahkin.
If you happen to live near an object critical to the functioning of society, it is therefore more likely that a rotating power outage would not hit you – at least as often as others.
Power outages the start-up is decided in the control room of Fingrid’s central network center. At the same time, it is also decided how big the need for disconnection is.
“Then we inform the distribution network company how much in megawatts they are taking away from consumption, and we determine how long the situation will last. They recycle blackouts in their own area,” says Pahkin.
The aim is to distribute the amount to be disconnected evenly in relation to the electricity consumption in the areas of the distribution network companies. Electricity grid companies have made groups in advance, which by disconnecting would reduce electricity consumption in their area by about 10 percent.
According to Pahkin, the need for disconnection could vary from 200 megawatts to 1,000 megawatts in the winter – and in the worst case, even more.
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“It is important to note that customers are always themselves responsible for preparing for power outages.”
Thencewho would be affected by the outages at any given time, is therefore decided by the electricity network companies.
The companies assign different electricity usage locations to different criticality categories. Practices vary depending on the company, says the Energy Agency’s leading expert Tarvo Siukola.
“The number of objects to be prioritized is a little different in the regions of different network operators. Some don’t have that much, and even lower priority items can be made more important. And conversely, if there are more targets, some of the important targets have to be reduced to a lower criticality category.”
In practice, only hospitals and significant power generation plants would currently be excluded from the ubiquitous power outages.
If all objects important to the functioning of society would always be taken into account, according to Siukola, power cuts could constantly hit a very small number of people.
“They would have to suffer unreasonably from the fact that two-hour rotating power outages could come to them every couple of hours. Items of lower priority must be included so that the situation remains tolerable for all customers.”
In the Ministry of Labor and the Economy being prepared is currently working on a regulation on which sites electricity must be distributed to until the very end. It is expected to unify the practices of electricity network companies.
Read more: The ministry is preparing a new list of destinations whose electricity supply is going to be secured until the very end
The regulation is now in the opinion round, says the inspector general Tatu Pahkala from the Ministry of Labor and the Economy.
During that, it will be specified which sites it is most important to secure the supply of electricity. These can be, for example, police and fire departments and hospitals.
However, according to Pahkala, the regulation does not mean that these locations will not experience rotating power outages at all.
“It is important to note that customers are always themselves responsible for preparing for power outages.”
The first priority is defined in the regulation. In this case, the aim is to avoid power outages or to repair faults for as long as possible quickly.
“But if the situation is bad enough and the electricity is not interrupted from time to time, it can become a situation where everyone’s electricity is cut off and the whole system collapses.”
Finland director responsible for operations at the largest electricity network company Caruna Jörgen Dahlqvist says that in practice there could be challenges in allocating rotating power outages.
“It is not easy to find a sufficiently comprehensive set of management approaches that would not have an impact on the functioning of society.”
Exact information about who would be affected by the rotating blackouts cannot be obtained from the electricity network company until Fingrid, after deciding on the blackout, announces how much power each network company should cut.
“You always have to iterate in that situation. But of course the plans have been created: if we have to drop about 10 percent, we already know who it would affect.”
In the case of Caruna, power outages would be excluded in all cases, including power outages, which include hospitals, emergency centers and control centers of municipalities and authorities. For example, in water distribution, only the most critical items would be left out.
“The plan is that the interruption will last for two hours, and if the power shortage continues, the next area must be taken over for the next two hours. So you can’t go too far and promise which locations won’t be affected by power outages at any point.”
If a rotating power outage occurs in anticipation, the aim is to notify customers via text message about an hour before the interruption. If the interruption comes unexpectedly, you have to tell about the power outage afterwards.
“Then the situation can be compared to a fault situation: they tell you that the electricity has been cut off and how long it will last.”
Elenia’s operation manager Heikki Paananen (left), Fingrid’s control room manager Arto Pahkin and Fingrid’s power system operation manager Tuomas Rauhala talked about handling a possible electricity shortage at a press conference in early October.
Also The electricity network company Elenia has made plans for where the rotating power outages will be and how they would be communicated, says the operations manager Heikki Paananen.
Elenia strives to secure life-saving operations and electricity production in all situations.
In the order of power outages, for example, water supply, heat supply, rescue and police are also taken into account.
“If the situation is very serious, we cannot rule out the possibility of a two-hour power outage for these operations. But if the customer agrees with the hospital, he was lucky and probably won’t experience a power shortage.”
Customer numbers vary in different areas. In Elenia’s network, in sparsely populated areas, a few hundred residents can belong to a single outlet, in an agglomeration several thousand. Power outages can affect all kinds of areas, Paananen emphasizes.
“No one in this country knows days or months in advance if there will be a power shortage and how much load needs to be disconnected.”
Paananen emphasizes the importance of preparation. He invites you to get to know him 72tuntia.fi– website with instructions on how to prepare.
“If a flashlight or a headlamp is available, you can manage a break of two hours reasonably well. And we will definitely inform you about the power outage in advance, if it is possible.”
Paananen also emphasizes the importance of saving electricity in order to avoid recurring power outages.
“It’s time to move the use of electricity outside of weekday mornings and early evenings above all. That’s when the risk of a power shortage is greatest.”
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“If the customer agrees with the hospital, he was lucky.”
The, whether rotating power cuts will really be needed in the winter is still hard to say. There are a lot of moving parts, says Fingrid’s Arto Pahkin.
Power outages would be considered if all electricity production available in Finland was already in use and no more electricity could be transferred from abroad.
So much depends, for example, on how Olkiluoto 3 operates in the winter, and on how much electricity Finland receives from Sweden and Estonia.
Read more: TVO: Cracks were found in the supply water pumps of Olkiluoto 3
The weather of the coming winter will also play a big role.
“It’s a bad situation if there is a long period of frost. Then we won’t be able to generate electricity from the wind either.”
According to Pahkin, the risk of electricity shortages is greatest in January and February, when there can be prolonged periods of frost.
Possible outages of around two hours would probably be scheduled for peak consumption hours between around seven and nine in the morning and between six and eight in the afternoon.
However, according to Pahkin, the situation looks pretty good at the moment. Finns’ electricity consumption is this autumn decreased clearly compared to the same time last year.
“At least at the moment, I wouldn’t say that an electricity shortage is likely.”
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