277,000 customers lost power: what Latvia’s storm revealed about business preparedness

The storm of 22–23 August caused Latvia’s most extensive electricity supply disruptions in the past 20 years. Around 277,000 customers were without power on Sunday morning. For businesses, the event is an important reminder that operational continuity cannot rely on the assumption that electricity, internet access and payment systems will always be available.

How seriously was Latvia’s electricity grid affected?

At the height of the disruption, 46 of more than 150 substations operated by Latvia’s transmission system operator Augstsprieguma tīkls were affected. Five 330 kV and 44 110 kV overhead transmission lines were damaged.

By 14:00 on 23 August, power had been restored to seven substations and 11 transmission lines. More than 200 crews from Augstsprieguma tīkls and Sadales tīkls were involved in recovery work, while more than 1,500 kilometres of overhead transmission lines had to be inspected to locate damage.

What does a power outage actually mean for a business?

For a modern company, losing electricity often affects much more than lighting. Internet connections, routers, servers, cash registers, payment terminals, warehouse systems, production equipment, refrigeration and access-control systems may all stop working.

Even a few hours without critical infrastructure can result in unserved customers, delayed orders, damaged stock or production downtime.

What should a business prepare before the next outage?

The first step is not necessarily to buy a generator. A company should first identify which systems must not stop and how long the business needs to operate without external electricity.

• Identify the three to five systems that are most critical to operations.
• Check how long a UPS or other backup power source can support them.
• Prepare an alternative internet connection independent of the primary connection where possible.
• Keep independent backups of critical business data.
• Define backup procedures for payments, customer service and employee communication.
• Review property and business-interruption insurance coverage.

Is backup electricity alone enough?

No. A company may have a working generator and still be unable to operate if internet access, payment services or critical data become unavailable. A business continuity plan should therefore treat electricity, communications, data, payments and suppliers as interconnected dependencies.

What should a company do if it has already suffered storm damage?

Human safety comes first. Damaged power lines, flooded electrical equipment and other dangerous electrical infrastructure must not be approached.

Once the area is safe, businesses should document damage with photographs and video, record the duration of operational interruptions and identify damaged equipment or stock. The insurer should also be contacted as soon as reasonably possible. Whether a particular loss is covered depends on the terms of the individual insurance policy.

What is the main lesson for businesses?

Business continuity planning is not only relevant to banks, data centres or major industrial companies. It can be equally important for a small shop, service business, office, manufacturing company or online retailer.

A company cannot prevent a major storm, but it can decide in advance what should happen during the first ten minutes, first two hours and first 24 hours after electricity or internet access disappears.

For a prepared company, a power outage is an incident. For an unprepared company, it can become a business crisis.

Frequently asked questions

How many customers lost electricity during the storm?

Around 277,000 customers were affected on the morning of 23 August. Electricity supply was gradually restored during the day.

Were these Latvia’s largest electricity disruptions?

Augstsprieguma tīkls described the event as the most extensive electricity supply disruption in Latvia in the past 20 years.

Does every business need a generator?

No. The appropriate solution depends on the company’s critical systems, energy requirements and the length of time it needs to operate independently.

Does insurance cover losses caused by business interruption?

Not automatically. Property insurance and business-interruption insurance may provide different types of coverage, so the conditions of the individual policy must be reviewed.

Sources

• Augstsprieguma tīkls – official information on storm-related transmission grid damage and restoration work, 23 August 2026.
• Sadales tīkls – information on electricity supply disruptions affecting customers, 23 August 2026.
• Latvian Public Media – reporting on the consequences of the 22–23 August storm in Latvia.