On 6 September 2022, a discussion with experts from the energy industry and crisis preparedness took place in parliament in the Hofburg Palace, at the invitation of the Civil Protection Association, the Parliamentary Directorate, and Austria’s electricity industry.
The security of the electricity supply took centre stage today in the parliament at the Hofburg Palace, at a symposium on preparedness for blackouts. Experts from the energy industry and crisis preparedness discussed the situation regarding electricity grids in Austria and the probability of a blackout, as well as scenarios and plans in the event of such an event arising.
The starting point of the debate was the presentation of the study “Secure power supply and preparedness for blackouts in Austria. Blackout scenarios, risks, and possible protective measures”. The study by ARGE ITA/AIT (Institute of Technology Assessment of the Austrian Academy of Sciences and Austrian Institute of Technology) on behalf of the Austrian Parliament provides an overview of existing knowledge and the need for action to prevent electricity shortages or blackouts. It was published at the beginning of 2022 and focussed on topics such as the energy transition even before the Ukraine conflict.
The topics of blackout and security of supply are currently omnipresent, said Parliamentary Director Harald Dossi in his opening remarks. He also addressed the current context, including the war in Ukraine, the energy crisis and the visible effects of climate change. He said the study had looked specifically at blackout preparedness in Austria and was also intended as a basis for decision-making.
In his closing remarks, the Austrian MP Andreas Hanger (ÖVP), also President of the Austrian Civil Protection Association, listed three points that he took away from the day’s debate. Firstly the issue of clear responsibilities in preparedness for blackouts. All levels of government are called upon here, i.e. the local municipalities as well as the state and federal levels. In addition, there must be a stronger focus on the electricity grids, especially in the context of the current transformation of energy generation, said Hanger. And regardless of all the political manoeuvring, it is also important to strengthen the personal responsibility of the people in the municipalities.
Barbara Schmidt, Secretary General of oesterreichs energie, the Austrian Association of Electricity Companies, appealed for the discussions on these issues to continue, and for everyone to come together at the same table, regardless of their interests. Despite all the measures the electricity industry takes to prevent blackouts, personal responsibility is also important, so that everyone should take precautions and make provisions for such an eventuality, said Schmidt. With regard to the expansion of renewable energy sources, she is keen to speed up the procedures.
Study provides an overview
The study was presented by Jaro Krieger-Lamina and Steffen Bettin from the Austrian Academy of Sciences (ÖAW). The security of supply in Austria is very high, emphasised Krieger-Lamina. He said there had not been a blackout for around 50 years. As a result, there is a lot of uncertainty on how to deal with such a situation. The study focussed on risk factors. Developments since the end of February are not part of the study, due to its publication at the beginning of the year. A blackout cannot be avoided if the situation is acute. It is only possible to create the right framework conditions to mitigate its effects, Krieger-Lamina explained, by adding flexible elements to the electricity grid in order to be able to compensate for a drop in voltage, for example, or by creating sufficient reserves of balancing energy.
Bettin addressed developments such as the expansion of renewable energy, decarbonisation and climate neutrality. The energy supply is being restructured as a result of these, and the issue of volatility is becoming increasingly important. This also requires grid expansion at all levels, in order to maintain a high level of security of supply. This also requires grid expansion at all levels, in order to maintain a high level of security of supply Due to the dynamic situation and the many players involved, this is a complex endeavour. Among other recommendations he mentioned was to include the risks arising from environmental changes in systematic monitoring.
Impulses in the debate
In addition to Krieger-Lamina and Bettin, Gerhard Christiner, Technical Director of the Austrian Power Grid AG, Gerald Hesztera, Head of the Strategy Department and Programme Director for “Blackouts” at the Ministry of the Interior, Philipp Eder, Head of the Military Strategy Department at the Ministry of Defence, and Josef Ober, Mayor of the Municipality of Feldbach, also took part in the debate.
There are three aspects to security of supply, namely electricity generation, electricity grids, and the transformation of the energy system, said Christiner, from Austrian Power Grid AG. He criticised the fact that no provision in a holistic sense had been made for this transformation. The exploding electricity costs may well be due on the one hand to the gas crisis, but an existing shortage on the electricity market also plays a role. According to Christiner, the electricity grids have remained a “neglected child” in the expansion of renewable energy. He did not think a blackout was likely in the foreseeable future, and pointed to a well-functioning European back-up network, among other things. If the worst came to the worst, simulator tests have established that it would take up to 30 hours to restart the entire system in Austria. With regard to a possible electricity shortage, Christiner mentioned imports as a factor, but also drought, which reduces hydropower, and the issue of gas supplies. The scenarios for the autumn are currently being examined at European level.
Eder emphasised on the part of the Ministry of Defence that one measure for dealing with the issue of blackouts must be to become resilient. It has therefore been decided that the armed forces should be in a position to be self-sufficient in terms of their power supply for a period of 14 days. Based on threat analyses from recent years, the aim is to create awareness in the population that they should also be prepared for self-sufficiency, and that a total of 100 key properties have also been identified that should be self-sufficient for 14 days, so that people can turn to these locations if the worst comes to the worst.
Hesztera explained that the police have already made considerable progress in making many police stations blackout-proof. In the event of a blackout, the police and the Ministry of the Interior would reorganise their means of communication so that they would continue to function for several days. Networking is also taking place with municipalities or other emergency services to ensure that cooperation works smoothly in the event of a blackout.
Ober is convinced that a modern society must be in a position to answer the question of what happens after one or two days of a blackout. In Feldbach, the entire water supply network has been made one hundred per cent blackout-proof. There is now also an emergency power supply for the wastewater system and sewage treatment plants. Attention has also been paid to facilities such as fire stations, or to the provision of emergency power generators at doctors’ surgeries. He also appealed to the population to consider stockpiling for the event of blackouts.
The study is available on the Parliament’s website under the link Foresight and technology assessment – individual studies. Specialised information with info graphs is available under the link Secure power supply and blackout preparedness in Austria. The event was streamed live in the media centre on the parliament website, and is available there as a video on demand.
PLEASE NOTE: Photos of this event can be found on the parliament’s website.
Report: Press Service of the Parliamentary Administration/Parliamentary Correspondence
Source: https://www.ots.at/presseaussendung/OTS_20220906_OTS0166/blackout-vorsorge-symposium-mit-impulsen-zur-versorgungssicherheit (07.09.22)