RH Sees Lack of Blackout Strategy in Austria

All levels of local authorities have made provisions for such a severe power outage - however, these differ in terms of their intensity and degree of progress. The RH advises to continuously evaluate and improve the preventive measures.

RH Emphasizes Difference Between Blackout and Power Outage

The audit was carried out at the federal level, among others, at the Ministry of the Interior and the Ministry of Defense, at the state level in the state of Styria, and at the municipal level in the city of Feldbach. The period under review essentially covered the years 2018 to 2023. The definition of a blackout varied according to the Court of Audit in the federal states. A blackout is to be distinguished from regional power outages or a power shortage situation, emphasized the RH. It is a supra-regional, sudden power outage, followed by infrastructure and supply failures. In such a scenario, the loss of usual communication options such as mobile phones or the internet must also be expected. Mobility and the supply of everyday goods are also restricted.

No Uniform Communication on Blackout

At the time of the Court of Audit's examination, individual blackout measures were not yet fully developed, others were far advanced or in implementation. Common to all levels were the determination of blackout-relevant tasks and the necessary personnel for this. For example, in the state of Styria, each state office defines for itself which tasks it considers to be blackout-relevant. The Ministry of the Interior defines the tasks centrally also for the subordinate offices. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs stipulates that personnel from certain organizational units must report to the central office in Vienna in the event of a blackout. In addition to the inconsistent definition of the term blackout, the internal communication or the communication path also varied depending on the country. The responsibilities and communication paths should be defined in advance in order not to lose time in the event of a disaster, is therefore the recommendation of the Court of Audit. The framework conditions should be applied automatically without further decision-making. A nationwide exercise on communication in a crisis has not yet taken place in Austria, the RH noted.

Blackout Strategy: City of Feldbach as a Pioneer

Feldbach is a pioneer at the municipal level in blackout preparations, which are also scientifically accompanied. The fifth largest city in Styria had largely implemented its preparatory measures by September 2023, the RH reported. These include: strengthening the self-provision of residents, setting up eleven emergency power-supplied self-help bases distributed throughout the municipal area, ensuring the functionality of the infrastructure and relevant companies, secure fuel supply through an emergency power-supplied petrol station, and ensuring communication and information. From the point of view of the Court of Audit, these measures are suitable for increasing Feldbach's adaptability in the event of a blackout. The findings from the measures taken by the municipality should be taken into account throughout Austria.

(APA/Red)

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