The storm that hit Latvia over the weekend exposed significant problems with businesses’ ability to generate their own electricity, leaving several services vital to the public unavailable, Smart Administration and Regional Development Minister Edgars Tavars said in an interview with Latvian Television’s Rīta panorāma programme on Monday.
The minister particularly highlighted problems with mobile communications and access to fuel following widespread power outages. According to Tavars, there were towns where not a single petrol station was operating, while hospitals and the police had to rely on electricity generators.
The politician acknowledged that no one had expected power outages on such a large scale or the subsequent disruption to mobile communications. Overall, he described the storm as a very serious lesson that would be analysed in greater detail by the government’s crisis management council on Monday.
Tavars stressed that the crisis caused by the storm demonstrated that private businesses need to be better equipped to maintain their operations using generators. This applies particularly to telecommunications companies, whose mobile network towers should have a higher level of backup equipment enabling them to operate for at least 72 hours without centralised electricity supply.
The minister said that
some private businesses could be required by the state to improve their alternative power supply capabilities,
while incentive mechanisms could be introduced for others to encourage greater investment in backup solutions.
Tavars noted that fuel retailers and telecommunications companies also have contracts with the state to provide services to emergency and operational services, meaning they must be capable of fulfilling these obligations even in difficult circumstances.
He suggested that certain requirements may already apply to these companies, but the storm appeared to show that compliance with them may exist more on paper than in practice.
The politician acknowledged that if the consequences of such a storm had occurred during cold winter weather, the situation could have turned into a major disaster.
At the same time, Tavars praised electricity network repair crews, emergency services and municipalities, saying that everyone had been involved in dealing with the aftermath of the storm and had worked to the limits of their capacity.
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