One of the largest substations in Finland is Jylkkä, which connects the numerous wind
farms in Ostrobothnia to the grid. The electricity produced by wind turbines uses
inverter technology, which requires a synchronous compensator plant.
The commissioning of substations and transmission lines involves several important steps to ensure safety and the functioning of the grid. In this process, seamless collaboration between Fingrid’s specialists, contractors and the main grid control centre is key.
To keep the nation’s lights on, substations must operate resiliently. They are monitored remotely, but inspections and maintenance are performed on-site.
Over the next ten years, Fingrid will execute approximately 180 different substation projects. There will be 45 completely new substations, with a Project Manager responsible for each of them.
Fingrid has more than a hundred substation projects in progress over two years, and the portfolio of projects underway is worth more than EUR 430 million. One key factor behind this boom is the green transition, which is taking Finland towards a carbon-neutral economy.
Antti Puuska, who began working at Fingrid’s predecessor, Imatran Voima, in 1976, discusses how substation construction has changed over the last decades.
The power system is in the midst of an unprecedented transition, which calls for major investments in the main grid.
One of the most important substations in the electricity system of Finland – Fingrid’s Rauma substation – will be refurbished.
Project Manager Jarmo Henttinen has taken charge of the repair work at several substations that Fingrid has overhauled in recent years, as well as the construction of new substations. The overhauls of the Imatra and Länsisalmi substations, among others, have had a substantial visible impact on nationally significant landscapes.
New wind turbines and a pumped storage facility are planned in the municipality of Haapajärvi and its surrounding areas.
