Equipped for the blackout: Without a net, but with a double bottom
The state of Tyrol showed itself to be well armed for a blackout scenario yesterday as part of the crisis exercise “Energy 21”. The emergency organizations rehearsed the emergency at the foot of the Patscherkofel in Innsbruck.
In the area of the valley station of the Patscherkofelbahn yesterday, the emergency organizations rehearsed various scenarios that a blackout could bring in front of the political celebrities.
© Rita Falk
From Nikolaus Paumgartten
Innsbruck – What sounds like material for a disaster film is no longer just a topic for the cinema: a far-reaching power failure. Although such a blackout has been averted so far, it cannot be ruled out for the future – for example, if the electricity demand in Europe soars during prolonged cold spells that the grid collapses. In this case, the first thing to do is to quickly believe that the system-critical infrastructure will be powered by energy and then, step by step, to restore the power supply for everyone. Günther Platter (ÖVP) organized the nationwide blackout exercise “Energie 21”, which took place yesterday, in his role as chairman of the state governors’ conference.
For example, in Innsbruck at the foot of the Patscherkofel, the armed forces, fire brigade, police, ambulance, mountain rescue and specialists from the Tinetz rehearsed the emergency. They also reached into the bag of tricks with a double bottom and demonstrated their know-how and innovative spirit: The program includes rescuing people from gondolas and caring for the injured in emergency tents. With the help of a Blackhawk helicopter, a provisional power pole was erected – in a matter of minutes using a method developed in Tyrol.
© TT, Rita Falk
Federal Chancellor Alexander Schallenberg (ÖVP), who came to Tyrol at Platter’s invitation, praised the initiative: “Blackout is not about scaremongering. But the mother of the porcelain box is careful. ”Josef Geisler (ÖVP). “The processes and operations in our country work. In the event of a crisis or disaster, it is particularly important to ensure communication between the emergency services, authorities and important infrastructure facilities, ”said Geisler, who called on the population to take the issue of stockpiling seriously and thus make a contribution. “The devil is often in the details. And we can only find out by doing exercises, ”said Elmar Rizzoli, head of crisis and disaster management in the country, referring to the importance of such exercises.
In an interview with TT editor-in-chief Mario Zenhäusern yesterday in the Tirol-Live-Studio, the CEO of Tiwag, Erich Entstrasser, also underlined the realistic risk of a blackout. “In Tyrol we are very well prepared with our own power plants and we can quickly restore the power supply in the event of a blackout,” said Entstrasser. In an emergency, you would be disconnected from the European network and could restore a basic supply for the whole of Tyrol within five hours, according to the Tiwag boss.
️ Video | Erich Entstrasser in “Tirol Live”