Energy crisis: What if the blackout comes in Ebersberg? – Ebersberg

There are several gaping holes in the Nord Stream pipeline that was blown up and in Germany there are considerable delays or train cancellations due to the destruction of important communication cables on the railway tracks. Both cases are presumably acts of sabotage, and it cannot be ruled out that saboteurs controlled from Russia could also be behind them. It is attacks like these that are currently making security experts sit up and warn of a possible blackout scenario.

The collapse of the power supply is a risk from which the municipalities in the Ebersberg district must also protect themselves. Accordingly, the Ebersberg district office, which is responsible for the event of a disaster, is developing an emergency plan for the district and its critical infrastructure. “The emergency plan is to be seen as the sum of the individual fields of action, which are constantly being expanded and updated,” says the press office in the district office. A situation and overview map was created from the data collected over the past few months in order to be able to act more effectively and coherently in the event of a disaster. “We are well on the way and in exchange with the communities but also with companies and gas stations,” says District Administrator Robert Niedergesäß (CSU). And there were also talks with the state government. You don’t feel any nervousness before a blackout, but tension is recognizable. “You shouldn’t think everything through to the end of what such a blackout could mean,” says Niedergesäß. That is why mutual exchange and good preparation are important, also with a view to the critical infrastructure.

An aggregate could keep the business running – but not indefinitely

The district clinic is also part of the so-called critical infrastructure and is prepared for a power failure. “An emergency power generator would be used when there is no electricity from the power grid or when the power fails for a short time,” says Managing Director Stefan Huber. The diesel required for this is available, but storage capacity is limited. “So this aggregate could keep the business running for a certain period of time – but not indefinitely.” And communities and operations leaders are also preparing for emergencies. Because: “At the beginning of such a blackout, everyone would be left to their own devices,” says Christoph Münch, commander of the Ebersberg fire brigade.

Ever since the war in Ukraine broke out, Münch has been aware that the scenario of an energy shortage or even a sustained, widespread power failure is one that could also affect the town of Ebersberg. That’s why he’s collecting information on the subject and using it to create a list that should show how one can and should react to such a situation, both as an individual and as a city. “In the event of a long-lasting power failure, it is important that the population has a contact point to ensure communication in the event of a crisis,” explains Christoph Münch.

The plan, which he finalized and finalized together with his colleagues from the Ebersberg volunteer fire brigade and Mayor Ulrich Proske (independent), could now become a kind of blueprint for the district. “Slowly there seems to be pressure on the district office from the mayors who want information on how to best deal with the issue,” says Münch. The Ebersberger Plan is well suited for this. According to Münch, the document, which has continued to grow as a result of the many developments over the past few months, contains important information. One aspect for the fire services, for example, is how they can best get an overview of the situation in the event of a disaster (e.g. using a turntable ladder at night to see how far-reaching the power failure is). The sheet also contains an overview of the consequences of a long-lasting power failure (fires caused by heating points with fire). And it describes the challenges that agriculture faces in such a case and how they can be helped (failure of the milking and feeding systems). “The fact that we are preparing for this scenario is of course a fine line between scaremongering and information,” says Christoph Münch. However, it is important to prepare citizens and show them that the city is prepared and that you do not have to get your information from the Internet, which often leads to disinformation and ultimately unfounded fear. “Crisis communication begins before the crisis,” says Münch.

The emergency plan from Ebersberg served as a template in the Kirchseeon market

One mayor who was happy to adopt the Ebersberger plan as a template is Kirchseeon town hall chief Jan Paeplow (CSU). On the basis of this, talks have now been held with the fire brigade but also with the waterworks so that the citizens can be supplied with – at least cold – water in an emergency. The emergency generators have also been tested and retrofitted according to the results. While a central contact point for community members could be set up at the town hall, where they could get information, warm up, but also make emergency calls, the IT within the administration still had to be readjusted, says Paeplow. While people are looking for solutions to these, people in Kirchseeon are not sitting idle.

Open detailed view

Satellite phones have been ordered, sirens have been switched to battery operation, diesel stocks have been stocked up and emergency accommodation has been agreed with the ATSV hall, “but if we have to accommodate people here, then we are already in a serious emergency situation,” explains Paeplow. In the end, he advises, one should not panic in such a case and should check from which sources one gets one’s information. In Kirchseeon, the crisis has already been gone through, at least in theory, and the plans have been run through, so that smooth communication should be guaranteed.

If a power outage lasts longer than eight hours, it could become critical

The fact that this was created in Ebersberg and found an open ear in the town hall is not least due to the connection between the town hall and the fire brigade. “I was a fire brigade commander myself for 24 years and I know crisis situations – you look at developments like Ukraine differently and maybe think of a lot of things that others can’t see yet,” says Mayor Ulrich Proske. That’s why Ebersberg has long had plans in the drawers that deal with long-lasting power outages, but also with everything to do with the water supply. When managing director Erik Ipsen received the emergency plan from Christoph Münch, he forwarded it to the district office.

So that everything is in place and working properly in an emergency, at least the telephone chains have already been tested for a blackout. “There are always power outages,” says Proske. And Münch adds that just recently there was a one-hour power outage in Steinhöring because of a tree on the line. In the event of a power outage like this, which only lasts one to two hours, that would be tolerable and manageable for the citizens – but things would become critical for eight hours or more. “Then people can no longer shop. No more refueling. And the town hall can no longer be reached because the communication network is down,” says Proske.

Open detailed view

And therein lies a big problem. Because experience has also shown that such contact points are important in order to calm and inform people. In general, after a while, there would be problems with the food supply, says the mayor of Ebersberg. There is a rented emergency power generator for the town hall, which can keep the administration running in an emergency, but which the citizens could also use to warm themselves up on site or to boil water.

“Creating an emergency plan for 25,000 residents is a sporting achievement”

While towns and communities such as Ebersberg and Kirchseeon have already developed specific concepts, working groups are still active in other town halls. “Creating an emergency plan for 25,000 residents is a sporting achievement,” says Leonhard Spitzauer (CSU). He has been working on the blackout issue as part of a working group since May. In order to develop a working plan, you work closely with the district office. There are emergency power generators in the municipality, says Spitzauer – “but of course one wishes today that one had more of them available,” says the mayor.

“So the question arose as to whether the Ebersberg emergency plan could not only be used as a blueprint for the communities, but ultimately make it the basis for a joint community workshop,” recalls fire department commander Münch. To ensure that as many municipalities in the district as possible are prepared for a crisis, there will be an all-day event on the subject at the beginning of November, in which Christoph Münch will present the emergency plan that has been drawn up. “One hopes that such a catastrophe never happens and that all the work has been done for nothing.”