Huvudförsörjning

Huvudförsörjning is a term used in Swedish planning to describe the primary set of goods, services and infrastructure needed to sustain society’s basic functioning during both normal conditions and emergencies. The concept emphasizes continuity of critical operations and rapid recovery when disruptions occur.

Core components of huvudförsörjning typically include energy supply (electricity and fuel), food and water, healthcare and sanitation, housing and shelter, transport and logistics, and communications. It also covers essential public services such as emergency response, waste management, and public administration. In practice, huvudförsörjning encompasses the networks, facilities and supply chains that enable these functions, including production sites, distribution routes, storage capacities, and cross-border dependencies.

The planning and management of huvudförsörjning involve multiple government levels and the private sector. National authorities set risk assessments, standards and coordination frameworks; regional authorities translate these into plans; municipalities implement local continuity arrangements. Operators of critical infrastructure and essential services have responsibilities to maintain resilience, conduct incident response, and participate in cooperation agreements and exercises. Legal and regulatory tools may require risk analyses, business continuity planning, stockpiling of key supplies, and networked redundancy.

Common approaches to strengthen huvudförsörjning include risk and criticality analyses, diversification of supply sources, redundancy in infrastructure, emergency stockpiles, mutual aid arrangements, and drills that test response and recovery. The aim is to reduce interdependency risks, protect vulnerable links, and ensure stable access to essential goods and services for the population even under stress.

See also: critical infrastructure, disaster preparedness, supply chain resilience, business continuity, emergency management.