Storm Hannes Causes Severe Power Outages – Worst Since 2011 Tapani Storm

Repairs to the extensive damage caused by storm Hannes continue around the clock. As of Tuesday, one quarter of Elenia’s customers without electricity are permanent residences. Restoring power to these homes remains our top priority before moving on to summer cottages and holiday properties. The destruction to the electricity network caused by storm Hannes is nearly on par with storm Tapani of 2011.

Strong winds last evening and overnight caused numerous new outages. Icy and snow-covered roads are extremely slippery, slowing down crews’ access to fault locations. The dropping temperatures add further concern. Despite these winter challenges, repair work continues without interruption. Helicopter and drone inspections are also being carried out to speed up fault detection and restoration.

Due to the exceptionally widespread damage, restoring power to all affected areas will take several days.

“The situation for our customers without electricity is deeply concerning, and we sincerely apologize. We are doing everything possible to restore power,” says Heikki Paananen, Elenia’s Head of Emergency Response.

He urges everyone to check on elderly relatives and ensure safe living conditions during the outage.

“From a safety perspective, we must also take care of our crews’ well-being and recovery during this prolonged and demanding field work,” Paananen adds.

Extensive damage to the Electricity Network

Storm Hannes hit Elenia’s entire network area hard, bringing down trees and cutting power across Kanta-Häme, Päijät-Häme, Pirkanmaa, Central Finland, and South and North Ostrobothnia. The most extensive damage and highest number of outages have occurred in Pirkanmaa and South Ostrobothnia.

“The last time we faced a situation this severe was during the Tapani and Hannu storms in 2011. Since then, we have invested over €1.6 billion in modernizing the aging network and increased underground cabling from 25% to 66%,” Paananen explains.

“I don’t even want to imagine what the situation would look like now without these major investments in supply reliability,” he adds.

So far, more than 2,000 fault locations have been identified in Elenia’s network area, and new ones continue to emerge, especially in the low-voltage network, as repairs progress on the medium-voltage backbone.

"We must first repair the backbone network to restore supply to the low-voltage network. Right now, there are homes without heat, and this is a very serious situation that requires immediate attention,” Paananen emphasizes.

Power outages still affect nearly 30 distribution system operators' areas across western and central Finland.

“We continue targeted calls to customers in permanent residences experiencing prolonged outages to ensure their safety and access to assistance. Cooperation with wellbeing services counties, municipalities, and rescue authorities is ongoing,” Paananen says.

Important Safety Warning

  • Never touch power lines or attempt to remove trees or branches fallen on them. Downed lines can cause fatal electric shock. Maintain at least a 20-meter safety distance and report the situation to Elenia’s free fault service at 0800 100 100.
  • Installation and commissioning of property backup power systems must only be carried out by a licensed electrical contractor. Smaller portable generators may be used to power individual appliances, but never connect them to the property’s electrical system.

Customer Guidance

  • Contact us via Elenia Aina or the chat service on elenia.fi, available daily from 9:00 to 22:00. Chat requires cookie acceptance and is visible when agents are available. Activate Elenia Aina at www.elenia.fi/aina.
  • Our fault service operates 24/7 at 0800 100 100. Please note that call queues may be long.
  • Call Elenia’s fault service especially if you know the fault location or if you have received a restoration SMS but still have no power.
  • We update estimated restoration times on our outage map once the fault location and repair start time are confirmed. Otherwise, estimates may be provided later or exceed 24 hours.
  • Repairs proceed by restoring power first to the medium-voltage backbone network, followed by low-voltage network faults.

Stay Informed

Additional Warning

After power is restored, if your property’s electrical system behaves abnormally (e.g., lights are unusually bright or dim), the cause may be a broken neutral conductor. This can lead to equipment damage, fire, and severe electric shock risk. In such cases, immediately switch off power at the main switch and contact Elenia’s fault service at 0800 100 100.

Photo credit: Mikko Loikkanen, Elite