Eastern Finland’s lagging behind Western Finland in green transition and renewable energy investments has been discussed in the media in recent days. Fingrid has received its share of comments and it has been suggested that wind power is concentrated on the west coast because Fingrid first strengthens the network in the area. This is not true.
We need customer investment decisions and concrete projects before we can plan and build a network. In Western Finland, electricity network strengthening is now progressing rapidly, because the planned connections in the area have progressed to concrete projects. There have been enough of these projects so that Fingrid has its hands full of work.
Fingrid invests more than ever in the development of the main grid, and we are ready for a similar effort also in Eastern Finland.
We are ready to supplement our investment program as our customers have sufficiently advanced connection needs. The main grid cannot be built on the basis of guesswork.
We are constantly making rough electricity network plans for the future in Eastern Finland, but we can only proceed when we know what kind of transmission lines and substation locations are needed to connect new electricity production and consumption. We are ready to supplement our investment program as our customers have sufficiently advanced connection needs. The main grid cannot be built on the basis of guesswork; it would not be sensible in terms of land use or society.
The latest draft of the main grid development plan has been open for comments until the end of August. I can promise that we will carefully review all the comments received. We also work continuously with regional councils and define our anticipated connection needs, which are taken to plans as customer locations and needed routes become clear.
However, including a project in our development plan requires customer connections. It is good to remember that implementing a power line with permits takes a total of about 7-8 years, and work cannot be started without the above-mentioned concreteness.
See the real-time map in Finnish Wind Power Association´s web page.
Jussi Jyrinsalo
Senior Vice President
Fingrid Oyj
