Finland and Sweden Prepare Emergency Plans for 'Living in Darkness'

Finland and Sweden are working on national contingency plans to deal with potential large-scale power outages, according to the Finnish newspaper Iltalehti, citing representatives of major energy companies. The initiative follows a significant power grid failure on the Iberian Peninsula in the spring of 2025, which raised concerns across Europe about energy security.

Asta Sihvonen-Punkka, head of the Finnish grid operator Fingrid, stressed that even though Finland has not experienced a nationwide blackout for more than 50 years, the country must be prepared for such an event.

"We must be ready for a situation where a significant part of the country could plunge into darkness," Sihvonen-Punkka said, noting that failures may be caused by extreme weather events or human error.

To reduce risks, Sihvonen-Punkka emphasized the need for closer cross-border cooperation between neighboring states, including faster information sharing and coordinated responses during emergencies.

Sweden Strengthens Blackout Preparedness

Sweden is also taking the threat seriously. Erik Ek, strategic manager at Svenska Kraftnät, admitted that while it is impossible to completely eliminate the risk of blackouts, authorities are working on detailed contingency plans to minimize disruptions if an outage does occur.

According to Swedish officials, planning now ensures that society can maintain basic services even in the event of prolonged disruptions.

Recent European Blackouts Highlight Risks

The urgency of Nordic preparedness comes as Europe has faced several serious outages in recent years. Earlier this year, Berlin suffered its largest blackout in decades after arson damaged a high-voltage transmission line. Combined with the Iberian Peninsula’s grid collapse, these incidents have highlighted the fragility of interconnected European power systems.

Both Finland and Sweden stress that resilience, cooperation, and readiness are essential to protect citizens and critical infrastructure against future energy shocks.