Helsinki Halli arena — which has stood unused for events since the spring of 2022 due to EU sanctions on Russia — could face a risks once winter weather arrives.
The sanctions have prevented the arena's maintenance company — majority-owned by a group of Russian oligarchs — from paying its electricity and district heating bills, and the facility's electricty and heat have been cut off.
The arena has been out of use since February 2022, following Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
According to Juhani Hyvärinen, director of the Finnish Building Services Industries and Trade, problems at the facility could arise even before freezing temperatures arrive.
If ventilation systems aren't operating, moisture could bulid up and pose problems, according to Hyvärinen.
Last week, the Ministry for Foreign Affairs made an exceptional decision to allow the Finnish Ice Hockey Association, which has offices in a building adjacent to the facility, to pay the facility's overdue electricity bills.
But on Monday the hockey association announced that it made a unanimous decision to not pay the bill, citing concerns that it would only be a short-term solution.
Other potential problems
The facility's power supply was turned off at the beginning of this month but its management company is thought to be keeping critical functions of the arena going by using backup power.
The lack of full power means that the arena's ventilation systems aren't working, and moisture in the air cannot be removed, according to the Building Services Industries and Trade's Hyvärinen.
That means that once freezing temperatures arrive, the facility's pipes could freeze, because its supply of district heating has also been shut off.
"Without heat, the indoor temperature can drop to freezing in a fairly short period of time," he explained, adding that the situation could damage the building within a few weeks of freezing weather.
The lack of power also makes keeping an eye on critical systems difficult, Hyvärinen said.
These systems include the arena's access control system, fire alarms and other electronic hazard notification systems.
According to Hyvärinen, a building that has been unused for a long time may also develop other defects that create challenges in restarting normal operations.
"If water hasn't been running for a long time, the water quality can deteriorate," he offered as an example.
However, Hyvärinen also said it is possible that the management company's backup power could address these issues.