Per Eckemark took up his new position as Director General and CEO of Sweden’s transmission system operator, Svenska kraftnät, at the beginning of May. He was previously head of Svenska kraftnät’s network division and has been a member of the Management Team since 2018.
Eckemark has also held various management positions at ABB, first in automation and later in power networks.
“I was at ABB for more than ten years, working in a business area that supplied systems and equipment to transmission system operators. It has since been acquired by the Japanese company Hitachi,” says Eckemark.
Joint Nordic development projects are part of our responsibility to balance the electricity system.
His appointment as Director General and CEO of Svenska kraftnät comes at an interesting time. Attention is currently being paid to three different areas of development in particular.
“Joint Nordic development projects are part of our responsibility to balance the electricity system, and an increase in renewable energy has brought new challenges to this task. We have joint projects for new IT platforms with both Fingrid and the transmission system operators in Norway and Denmark.”
Changes in the security situation have led both the armed forces and civil authorities in Sweden to turn their attention to security of supply, as the electricity system must be able to operate reliably even in the most demanding conditions.
“It is our responsibility to ensure not only that the main grid is functioning properly, but also that all parties are adequately prepared, including electricity providers. This also applies to IT and cybersecurity. We are obliged to carry out audits in this regard, and have received funding to strengthen civil preparedness.”
The third topical issue is a huge investment boom – new enquiries about connecting to the grid are being received at an unprecedented rate as new industry switches to green energy.
“Our goal is to halve investment lead times.”
Cooperation works
Nordic-level cooperation is solid. For example, Eckemark himself has first-hand experience of the joint project to build the Aurora Line, a new electricity transmission line linking Finland and Sweden.
“In my previous role, I was in the project steering group with Fingrid’s Executive Vice President, Timo Kiiveri.”
Nordic cooperation also takes place at CEO level through a variety of forums.
“We have also launched cooperation on security and preparedness between ten coastal states around the Baltic Sea.”
European-level cooperation is focused on ENTSO-E, the European Network of Transmission System Operators for Electricity.
National plan
One of the hottest topics at the moment is the recent switch to Flow Based capacity metering and the 15-minute pricing period in the electricity market.
“The system is fully automated and requires a greater amount of processing power. We have also been criticised for the occasional sharp increase in imbalance power prices, but this change was a necessary step in adapting to an increasingly volatile environment.”
Electricity trading areas, of which there are four in Sweden, are another hot topic.
“It’s a divisive issue with some people arguing that there should be only one area, as in Finland. The government has asked us to investigate whether this should be changed.”
Svenska kraftnät is also working on a national plan for the entire electricity system, covering production, transmission, distribution and consumption.
“We’re excited about this new task. It will give us the opportunity to propose new tools and legislative amendments,” says Eckemark.
“My role in all of this is to maintain a steady course while providing the momentum for development. This is an exciting time to get involved and lead the organisation.”
