The Hanasaari coal power plant in Helsinki, Finland, September 27, 2017. Antti Aimo-Koivisto/Lehtikuva/via REUTERS

Finland's national power grid operator said on Friday it will introduce voluntary procedures for companies and the public sector to help prevent electricity shortages.

The Nordic country faces risk of power blackouts in the coming winter following cuts in Russian supplies and the delayed startup of a new nuclear reactor.

"The objective is to harness the full flexibility potential in the event of a possible electricity shortage so that consumers do not need to endure rolling power cuts," Fingrid said of the new scheme.

"The procedure is intended to cover applications such as industrial demand-side management and on-site reserve power generators," it added.