Storm Hannes causes the largest power grid failure in Finland in a decade
The powerful winter storm Hannes has caused the most serious power grid failure in Finland in the last ten years, energy company Elenia has reported. According to Heikki Paananen, the company's emergency preparedness manager, the scale of the damage exceeded the effects of the Jari storm in November last year. This was reported by The Public with reference to Yle.
As of the morning of 28 December, about 115,000 households across the country were without electricity, including more than 42,000 Elenia customers. The company operates grids in South and North Pohjanmaa, Central Finland, Pirkanmaa, as well as in Kanta Gyömö and Päijät Gyömö regions.
Paananen said that the repair work is complicated by significant damage on the ground. There have been about 700 requests for repairs, and the number is expected to almost double. The full restoration of power supply may take several days and extend into next week.
Power companies have isolated the damaged sections of the grid, which has allowed them to restore electricity to about 30,000 customers in less affected areas.
The storm also put a serious strain on the rescue services. In the Pirkanmaa region, almost 600 calls were received overnight, mostly due to trees falling on roads and power lines. In total, more than a thousand calls related to the consequences of the storm were recorded in several regions of the country.
