How do Swedish municipal officials describe challenges in power outage preparedness planning? : A Qualitative study in Swedish municipal power outage preparedness planning

Sammanfattning

This study investigates how Swedish municipalities plan for, and manage, power outages as a critical societal risk. As Sweden faces intensified electrification and increases in extreme weather events due to climate change, the dependency on a resilient power system is equally increased. Despite technical improvements such as underground power lines, significant vulnerabilities remain, particularly at municipal level, where national policies are implemented. Through a qualitative approach involving semi-structured interviews with municipal officials managing and planning power outage preparedness from ten different Swedish municipalities, this study examines factors that benefit or challenge municipal power outage preparedness. The study is grounded in theories of emergency preparedness planning and multi-dimensional resilience. Findings reveal that while all participating municipalities actively develop backup power solutions, they face complex dilemmas including functions such as public funding, limited specialized technical expertise within preparedness teams and difficulties in establishing formal agreements with private administration actors. The results suggest that geographical location and municipal size influence the specific challenges faced, with smaller rural municipalities often relying more on local networks and community cohesion, while larger cities struggle with the scale of resources needed. The study concludes that improved resilience requires improvements such as more structured public funding systems, improved conditions for agreements with private actors and greater possibilities for local implementation and alternative fuel resources.