The main objective of this article is to study the decision-making leading to the acquisition of the Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) ship Exemplar and following events through the lenses of energy security and resilience in Finland. The second objective is to assess how European Union gas supply regulations may have been helpful in this particular case.
In the energy context, resilience adopts a systems-oriented perspective, whereas energy security focuses more on geopolitical issues. This study uses both lenses to study the preventive and reactive measures concerning natural gas supplies in Finland in connection to Russia’s illegal war with Ukraine, along with the connected gas systems in the Baltic States. The case analysis is based on an in-depth study making use of thematic semi-structured interviews of eight key actors.
Finland faced what was beforehand identified as the worst-case scenario. The decision to lease a floating LNG terminal had exact timing and proved essential to secure energy supply. Conclusions: strong dependencies on one supplier are vulnerabilities and should be mitigated; stay alert to potential early warning signals and have a continuous discussion about these among experts and government officials; fast decision-making and effective implementation are key.
In addition to the rather low number of interviews, the case is limited to Finland with its own geography. Further studies including more European countries would give additional insights.
There are various studies and reports about gas consumption and delivery networks in Europe. However, this study provides a novel analysis of preparedness actions, detection of threats for energy security and resilience and the decision-making leading to successful mitigation.
