Run on home generators as Estonia prepares to disconnect from Russian grid

The imminent decoupling of Estonia's electricity grid and its synchronization with the mainland European grid has led to a surge in purchases of home generators, many of them costing hundreds, or even thousands, of euros.
At the end of next week, Saturday, February 8, Estonia is set to disconnect from the Russian and Belarusian BRELL electricity grid, and will nearly simultaneously connect to the Continental European system.
The upcoming desynchronization has led to a sharp increase in generator sales.
For example, in January, home improvement store Bauhof sold dozens of times more generators than during the same month last year.
While Bauhof has given its assurance that it will not run out of stock, one of its competitors, Ehituse ABC, has already had to restrict its generator selection, due to the surge in sales.
Bauhof's director of business sales and e-commerce, Priit Vao, told ERR: "We are indeed seeing a sharp increase in generator sales today, both in retail stores and in B2B and online channels."
"The biggest sales growth is coming from the online store, where a wider range of products is available," Vao added.
According to Bauhof's website, generator prices start at €351, while the most expensive available diesel generator costs €3,532.
According to Vao, generators are still available in sufficient quantities, and there is no reason for panic.
The most popular models are those priced around €500 or lower, but in terms of power output, the most sought-after generators range from 2,000 to 2,600 watts, making them suitable for home use.
A large selection of different generators is also available via the website of K-Rauta, another large home improvement chain.
The cheapest model there costs €235, to loyalty card-holding customers only, while the most expensive one is priced at €2,459.
At Ehituse ABC, the cheapest generator costs €319, while the most expensive model is currently on sale for €1,769.
Ehituse ABC's sales and marketing director, Margo Pruunlep, said the company's online store offers a total of eight different generators.
"January's sales figures clearly indicate an increased interest in generators, particularly in the €500 price range," Pruunlep said.
While generators are still available in their stores, Pruunlep added that stock is limited.
This is not the first time in recent years that there has been a run on home generators.
During the pandemic, sales spiked, while most notably in September 2022, in the wake of Russia's invasion of Ukraine and over a year after energy prices had started to soar, then-Prime Minister Kaja Kallas (Reform) made a public address urging the public to prepare for potential power outages.
This, in turn, sparked a generator-buying frenzy, with some stores selling out entirely.
On February 8, Latvia and Lithuania will join Estonia in disconnecting from the power cables linked to Russia—from south to north, starting with Lithuania and ending with Estonia.
By the evening of day two, i.e., February 9, Lithuania's cables are due to be hooked up to Poland's grid.
Estonia, meanwhile, will be able to receive power from Finland via an undersea cable if needed; Lithuania has a similar connection to Sweden.
In any case, during the transitional period, all three Baltic states will have to manage on their own, sharing electricity generation and consumption among themselves.
Estonia's grid distributor Elering has given its assurance that the Baltic region's local power capacities will be sufficient to maintain grid frequency even if both Estonia-Finland connections were to fail.
Despite the low estimated risk of power outages, preparedness for them has once again become a pressing issue.
Most domestic electricity generators run on gasoline, diesel, propane, or natural gas, meaning the purchase and safe storage or supply of these fuels is needed too; solar-powered generators are also manufactured.
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Editor: Karin Koppel, Andrew Whyte