Main grid
Will there be enough electricity next winter?
During the winter, it is very important that domestic production is available and the cross-border connections operate reliably.
22.9.2022
During the winter, it is very important that domestic production is available and the cross-border connections operate reliably.
The energy sector has traditionally
been seen as a very slow-moving one in which changes occur only gradually. However, the pace of life around the world has become faster, and changes can happen quickly.
The power system’s reserves protect the balance between electricity consumption and production.
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.
The Aurora Line – a new AC connection between Finland and Sweden – will be completed in 2025. At the same time, Fingrid is strengthening Finland’s internal electricity grid by building a line from north to south.
A uniform European electricity market based on clean electricity generation requires cross-border connections between countries. In Finland, Fingrid is responsible for developing and maintaining such connections. “Competition and the free movement of electricity across borders will reduce the price of electricity. In the future, no country will be able to constantly generate cheap electricity alone,” says Fingrid’s Senior Vice President Jussi Jyrinsalo.
The Olkiluoto 3 nuclear power plant unit begins to contribute to Finland’s electricity generation. What does the commissioning of the new nuclear power plant mean for the security and self-sufficiency of the power system?
Minna Laasonen, Senior Expert at Fingrid, answers our questions.
The main grid was built over several decades. The equipment in use consists of very different devices and structures of various ages, and every item needs to be kept in working order throughout its life cycle. Long-term maintenance will help to ensure a high transmission reliability rate from one generation to the next.
Regular system testing and practical exercises with various parties ensure that Fingrid is ready to respond to a crisis. For example, communication is paramount in the event of a major operational disturbance.
Antti Puuska, who began working at Fingrid’s predecessor, Imatran Voima, in 1976, discusses how substation construction has changed over the last decades.