Just under a year ago, Europe’s electricity grids reached the limits of their capacity and the continent was on the brink of a blackout. Since then, politics and business have been dealing intensively with the threat of an energy supply failure, which would have far-reaching consequences for society and the economy. On Tuesday morning, at the invitation of the Federation of Austrian Industries (IV) and the Federal Ministry of Defense (BMLV), experts and decision-makers from all sectors discussed for the first time how Austria could prepare for the impending scenario in a level-headed manner and without scaremongering.
Despite the high quality of supply in this country, it is essential that all stakeholders work together, as the challenge of a blackout is just as complex and interconnected as the energy supply itself. In addition to maintaining essential infrastructure as well as communication and information, Austria’s industry is preparing specifically for a controlled shutdown in its crisis plans, as individual companies and locations cannot be viewed in isolation despite all preventative measures and emergency concepts. Great importance is also attached to preparing employees so that they can carry out their tasks and are as well prepared as possible for an emergency in their private lives. The appeal to politicians to implement a realistic decarbonization strategy and minimize risks in the energy supply is unmistakable.
“A blackout affects all areas of society and the economy. That’s why the topic must be examined in all its facets in order to be best prepared for the worst-case scenario,” says Peter Koren (IV). IV President Georg Knill added: “A blackout is just as big a risk as cyber attacks or a pandemic. As an anchor of stability, industry has a crucial role to play in keeping the country running in challenging situations. Industry creates prosperity – and prosperity creates security.” In order to be able to play the supporting role for the overall system, industry needs security and predictability as well as long-term strategies. These are essential due to the numerous threat scenarios at European level caused by political instability. Advancing decarbonization and digitalization present the entire industry with long-term challenges and new requirements for security systems. The industry is clearly committed to the transformation towards climate neutrality. However, a secure, sufficient and fail-safe power supply is a prerequisite for this transformation process to be successful. Today, Austria is one of the countries with the best and most secure power supply in the world, but it is not immune to global hazards. These can put the Austrian supply grid under pressure. Intervention in the power supply is already necessary on an almost daily basis to keep the system stable. Climate neutrality is a massive infrastructure project that, according to the government’s program, should be completed by 2030. Approval procedures are proving to be a bottleneck in the transition to climate-friendly energy generation.
