sv, Försörjningsberedskapscentralen , type = , logo = , logo_size = , logo_caption = , logo_alt = , image = , image_size = , image_caption = , image_alt = , formed = , agency_type = , jurisdiction = , status = , headquarters =

Helsinki Helsinki ( or ; ; sv, Helsingfors, ) is the Capital city, capital, primate city, primate, and List of cities and towns in Finland, most populous city of Finland. Located on the shore of the Gulf of Finland, it is the seat of the region of U ...

Finland Finland ( fi, Suomi ; sv, Finland ), officially the Republic of Finland (; ), is a Nordic country in Northern Europe. It shares land borders with Sweden to the northwest, Norway to the north, and Russia to the east, with the Gulf of B ...

, coordinates = , motto = , employees = 65 , budget = , minister_type = , minister1_name = , minister1_pfo = , minister2_name = , minister2_pfo = , deputyminister_type = , deputyminister1_name = , deputyminister1_pfo = , deputyminister2_name = , deputyminister2_pfo = , chief1_name = , chief1_position = , chief2_name = , chief2_position = , parent_department = , parent_agency =

Ministry of Economic Affairs and Employment The Ministry of Economic Affairs and Employment (TEM, fi, työ- ja elinkeinoministeriö, ) is one of the ministries of the Finnish Government. The ministry implements industry, labor, and local development policies. There are two ministerial p ...

, parent_agency_type = Ministry , keydocument1 = , website = , agency_id = The National Emergency Supply Agency of Finland (NESA) ( fi, Huoltovarmuuskeskus (HVK), sv, Försörjningsberedskapscentralen (FBC)) is an agency of the

Finnish Finnish may refer to: * Something or someone from, or related to Finland * Culture of Finland * Finnish people or Finns, the primary ethnic group in Finland * Finnish language, the national language of the Finnish people * Finnish cuisine See also ...

responsible for maintaining Finnish

strategic reserve A strategic reserve is the reserve of a commodity or items that is held back from normal use by governments, organisations, or businesses in pursuance of a particular strategy or to cope with unexpected events. A document issued by the US Departm ...

s and

preparedness Preparedness is a research-based set of actions that are taken as precautionary measures in the face of potential disasters. Preparedness is an important quality in achieving goals and in avoiding and mitigating negative outcomes. There are differ ...

. It is tasked to ensure a security of supply during a time of crisis.

Strategic reserves and warehouses

The exact locations and contents of the Finnish emergency supply depots are classified, but they are based on a network of warehouses throughout Finland. Substantial Finnish strategic reserves are based on legally mandated responsibility for companies and organizations on critical areas to maintain certain level of stockpiles. The National Emergency Supply Agency also contracts certain companies to maintain preparedness for operations during crisis. While the precise items of the strategic reserves are classified, the general contents are: *

Fossil fuels A fossil fuel is a hydrocarbon-containing material formed naturally in the Earth's crust from the remains of dead plants and animals that is extracted and burned as a fuel. The main fossil fuels are coal, oil, and natural gas. Fossil fuels ...

for 5 months consumption *

Coal Coal is a combustible black or brownish-black sedimentary rock, formed as rock strata called coal seams. Coal is mostly carbon with variable amounts of other elements, chiefly hydrogen, sulfur, oxygen, and nitrogen. Coal is formed when dea ...

and alternatives for natural gas for 8 months consumption (Finland has no natural gas storage; the alternatives can be coal,

peat Peat (), also known as turf (), is an accumulation of partially decayed vegetation or organic matter. It is unique to natural areas called peatlands, bogs, mires, moors, or muskegs. The peatland ecosystem covers and is the most efficien ...

, oil or wood) *

Cereal A cereal is any Poaceae, grass cultivated for the edible components of its grain (botanically, a type of fruit called a caryopsis), composed of the endosperm, Cereal germ, germ, and bran. Cereal Grain, grain crops are grown in greater quantit ...

for 6 months consumption *Cereal seeds *

Fodder Fodder (), also called provender (), is any agriculture, agricultural foodstuff used specifically to feed domesticated livestock, such as cattle, domestic rabbit, rabbits, sheep, horses, chickens and pigs. "Fodder" refers particularly to food g ...

for a few weeks *

Medicines A medication (also called medicament, medicine, pharmaceutical drug, medicinal drug or simply drug) is a drug used to diagnose, cure, treat, or prevent disease. Drug therapy (pharmacotherapy) is an important part of the medical field and rel ...

for 12 months (as a legally mandated stockpiles in hospitals, pharmacies and medical companies) *Ammunition and gunpowder, details are classified

Ownership of critical companies

National Emergency Supply Agency owns stock of several companies important for the security of supply in Finland. The agency owns 24,9 % of the Finnish electricity grid operator

Fingrid Fingrid Oyj is a Finnish national electricity transmission grid operator. It is owned by the Finnish state (53.1 %) and various financial and insurance institutions (46.9 %). In 2011, power companies Fortum Power and Heat Oy and Pohjolan Voima sol ...

(the Finnish government owns directly an additional 28,24 % of Fingrid). When

Neste Oil Neste Oyj (international name: Neste Corporation; former names Neste Oil Corporation and Fortum Oil and Gas Oy) is an oil refining and marketing company located in Espoo, Finland. It produces, refines and markets oil products, provides eng ...

sold its tanker fleet they were purchased jointly by NESA and

Ilmarinen Mutual Pension Insurance Company Ilmarinen (), the Eternal Hammerer, blacksmith and inventor in the ''Kalevala'', is a god and archetypal artificer from Finnish mythology. He is immortal and capable of creating practically anything, but is portrayed as being unlucky in love. He i ...

COVID-19 pandemic

During the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identif ...

National Emergency Supply Agency released

surgical masks A surgical mask, also known by other names such as a medical face mask or procedure mask, is a personal protective equipment used by healthcare professionals that serves as a mechanical barrier that interferes with direct airflow in and out of re ...

and other medical

personal protective equipment Personal protective equipment (PPE) is protective clothing, helmets, goggles, or other garments or equipment designed to protect the wearer's body from injury or infection. The hazards addressed by protective equipment include physical, elec ...

from the warehouses on 24.3.2020. While this was not the first time the strategic reserves had been used (seed stocks had been used in spring 2018 due to a poor harvest in 2017), the pandemic was the first time when medical stockpiles were used and the act was widely publicized. However even the use of the strategic reserves was not enough stop mask shortages. It was also found that many of the masks in storage were a decade old and some in poor condition. As the mask shortage worsened NESA attempted to purchase 1.1 million KN95 breathing protectors and 2 million surgical masks for 5 million euros from China with Finnish business persons

Onni Sarmaste Onni is a male name of Finnish origin meaning "happiness, luck." It was the sixth most popular name for boys in Finland in 2007. People with the given name Onni * Onni Hiltunen, Finnish politician * Onni Kasslin, Finnish cyclist *Onni Lappalainen ...

and

Tiina Jylhä Tiina is an Estonian and Finnish feminine given name. People named Tiina include: * Tiina Ala-aho (born 19??), Finnish Paralympic track and field athlete * Tiina Benno (born 1961), Estonian politician *Tiina Intelmann (born 1963), Estonian diplo ...

. Eventually only a third of the breathing protectors (230 000 pieces) and 2 million masks were shipped to Finland and these were found to be inadequate for hospital use although still acceptable for

nursing home A nursing home is a facility for the residential care of elderly or disabled people. Nursing homes may also be referred to as skilled nursing facility (SNF) or long-term care facilities. Often, these terms have slightly different meanings to in ...

s and

home care Homecare (also spelled as home care) is health care or supportive care provided by a professional caregiver in the individual home where the patient or client is living, as opposed to care provided in group accommodations like clinics or nursing ho ...

. The poorly handled purchase led to the resignation of the NESA CEO Tomi Lounema as well as a criminal investigation against Lounema, Sarmaste and NESA managers Asko Harjula and Jyrki Hakola. No charges were eventually raised. The NESA was found to have acted poorly in the purchase but had been under substantial pressure from the

Ministry of Social Affairs and Health The Ministry of Social Affairs and Health ( fi, Sosiaali- ja terveysministeriö , sv, Social- och hälsovårdsministeriet) is a Finnish government ministry tasked with the planning and implementation of policies regarding the social affairs and ...

and

. Normally such a purchase would not have been handled by The National Emergency Supply Agency itself.

References

{{Reflist Government agencies of Finland Emergency management in Finland Strategic reserves by nation