Planning for Emergency Situations: Why Reliable Fuel Storage is Key to Business Continuity
In any industry, business continuity is essential, especially during emergencies. Whether it’s a natural disaster, power outage, or equipment failure, businesses need reliable fuel storage systems in place to ensure that critical operations can continue with minimal disruption when the unexpected happens.
Is your business truly prepared to withstand an emergency, or are you risking costly downtime with outdated fuel storage systems?
Why reliable fuel storage matters:
Ensuring uninterrupted power supply
When the primary power grid fails, backup generators become the lifeline of many organisations, from data centres to hospitals and manufacturing facilities. However, without sufficient high-quality fuel, even the most advanced backup generators can’t keep operations running. Reliable fuel storage ensures that there is always a ready supply of fuel for backup power, safeguarding your business from prolonged outages.
Why reliable fuel storage matters: minimising downtime
Downtime results in lost revenue, operational halts, and damage to your business's reputation. For healthcare, finance, and IT sectors, even a short disruption can have serious consequences. By having adequate fuel storage systems in place, businesses can keep essential systems online, reducing costly interruptions until the situation is resolved.
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According to industry reports, the average cost of a data centre outage is estimated to be around £4,300* per minute. This figure was cited by the Ponemon Institute’s Cost of Data Centre Outages report.
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Small to Mid-Sized Data Centres: For smaller data centres, costs typically range from £75,000 to £400,000* per outage, depending on the services impacted and downtime duration.
Enterprise Data Centres: For larger organisations or enterprises with mission-critical services, outages can cost £400,000 to over £750,000* for extended downtime.
Massive Enterprise or Cloud Data Centres: In the case of major cloud providers or hyperscale data centres (e.g., Amazon Web Services, Google Cloud, or Microsoft Azure), an outage could potentially result in millions of pounds* in losses per hour, along with damages to brand reputation.
By ensuring that reliable fuel storage solutions and backup generators are in place, data centres can avoid the staggering costs associated with downtime and maintain continuity of service.
Supporting critical infrastructure
Critical industries like healthcare, infrastructure, and logistics depend heavily on reliable power to support their critical infrastructure. Backup fuel storage plays a crucial role in ensuring that servers, medical equipment, and essential services remain operational during emergencies. This allows businesses to continue delivering crucial services and avoid the risk of total shutdowns that could have long-lasting effects.
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A power outage in a hospital can have life-threatening consequences. Critical life-support equipment like ventilators and cardiac monitors may fail, putting patients at immediate risk. Surgical procedures can be disrupted, and vital systems like HVAC, sterilisation, and diagnostic tools could stop working, leading to dangerous conditions and delayed care. Communication breakdowns, failures in electronic health records, and challenges with patient evacuation further complicate response efforts.
While hospitals typically have backup generators, they rely on proper maintenance and sufficient fuel storage to prevent prolonged outages. Reliable fuel storage and backup power are essential to maintaining safety and continuity in these high-risk environments.
Fuel storage for prolonged outages
Certain emergencies, such as natural disasters, can lead to prolonged power outages. In these cases, having a reliable fuel storage system is essential to ensure long-term power supply. Businesses need enough stored fuel to keep operations running for an extended period, preventing potential financial losses and safeguarding critical data and equipment.
How to prepare your business with reliable fuel storage
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To ensure you have enough backup fuel, start by assessing your organisation's energy needs during emergencies. This includes understanding the amount of fuel required to power essential systems for a specific period and accounting for factors such as equipment type, fuel consumption, and average downtime in your area.
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Bunded steel tanks are the recommended fuel storage solution for businesses that need safe, reliable fuel storage. With an added layer of protection to prevent leaks or spills, bunded tanks are compliant with industry regulations and offer long-term durability. Our above ground fuel storage tanks comply with Control of Pollution Regulations, featuring a 20-year Design Life Expectancy and OFTEC OFS T200 certification. Unlike the BS799 Part 5 2010 standard, which only covers the primary tank, the OFTEC OFS T200 certification includes the bund, providing an enhanced specification. For businesses with space constraints, slab or belly tanks can provide a compact fuel storage solution that fits seamlessly into backup power systems.
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It’s essential to perform regular maintenance on your fuel storage tanks and test your stored fuel to ensure it remains in optimal condition. Fuel uplift, testing and polishing services help maintain the quality of your fuel, preventing contamination and ensuring that your backup systems are ready when they’re needed most.
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Advanced fuel management systems allow businesses to monitor fuel levels, detect potential leaks, and ensure fuel quality in real-time. These systems provide critical data that can be used to make informed decisions during an emergency, such as knowing when to refuel and ensuring that fuel is used efficiently.
Having a reliable fuel storage solution is one of the key components in planning for emergencies and ensuring business continuity. If your fuel storage systems aren’t up to date, we can help with:
Fuel management systems, including advanced site-wide AI powered monitoring
By investing in proper fuel storage systems and maintenance practices, businesses can safeguard against prolonged outages, reduce operational downtime, and maintain critical functions during a crisis. At OTS Group, we specialise in providing fuel storage solutions that offer security, compliance, and peace of mind for businesses across all industries.
Ensure your business is prepared for any emergency by upgrading your fuel storage systems with OTS Group. Our expert team offers tailored solutions, from tank design and fuel management systems to maintenance and decommissioning services, all designed to keep your operations running smoothly and securely. Contact us today to safeguard your business continuity and reduce the risks of costly downtime. Get in touch at 01386 853409 or visit our website to learn more.
*Original dollar amounts as quoted in the Ponemon report:
Average cost of a data centre outage is estimated to be around $5,600 per minute
Small-mid data centre outage cost: $100,000 to $500,000
Enterprise data centre outage average cost: $500,000 to over $1 million
