Emtele Automation Oy and Helen Electricity Network Ltd first signed their substation automation equipment delivery and maintenance agreement in 2014. The newly established extension agreement provides the same functionality with 15 years of lifecycle services for new secondary substations. The solution includes remote control, status indication, measurements and alarms, all integrated into multiple operational systems. The renewed substation automation solution is more cost-efficient than before and features a high degree of Finnish engineering. The underlying FieldCom communication service ensures secure and efficient automation for secondary substations.
Helen Electricity Network will continue its substation automation programme together with Emtele Automation. More than one-third of Helen’s secondary substations have already been automated, although the annual installation pace will now slow down. Helen Electricity Network has reached one of the highest reliability levels in Europe, supported in part by substation automation. In 2024 the average outage duration has been under 2 minutes per customer.
In addition to reducing fault isolation times on the medium-voltage network, the substation automation solution enables a large share of normal switching operations to be performed remotely. Maintenance activities in secondary substations become more efficient, and data on transformer loading and low-voltage network conditions improves situational awareness across the grid. Transformer load management and early detection of harmonic issues have been handled effectively — an increasingly important capability as more distributed energy resources are connected to the low-voltage grid.
“We selected Emtele Automation based on their ability to deliver a long-term, cost-efficient end-to-end service including OT communications and maintenance, as required in the tender,” says Jyrki Nieminen, Director of Asset Management at Helen Electricity Network.
“Our goal is to be a forerunner in the industry.”
Helen Electricity Network Ltd
Helen Electricity Network’s mission is to deliver electricity to the residents of Helsinki — and not only deliver it, but ensure the network remains operational in all circumstances. Their reliability is exceptional: 97% of the network is built underground, protected from weather impacts. On average, a Helsinki resident experiences a 30-minute outage only once every ten years. Helen Electricity Network is part of the Helen Group, which provides heating, cooling, electricity and renewable energy solutions to more than 600,000 customers in Finland.
More information: www.helensahkoverkko.fi
Emtele Automation Oy
Emtele Automation Oy is a vendor-independent Finnish service company specialised in OT networks. The service portfolio covers OT and automation engineering, equipment deliveries, installation and testing, lifecycle services, managed services, maintenance and technical support. Emtele Automation is a privately owned Finnish company.
More information: www.emtele.com
Contacts
Emtele Automation Oy
Tuomas Kumpula
+358 40 053 5498
tuomas.kumpula(at)emtele.com
Joni Ekholm
+358 40 508 7308
joni.ekholm(at)emtele.com
Helen Electricity Network Ltd
Jyrki Nieminen
+358 50 502 3912
jyrki.nieminen(at)helen.fi
Mika Loukkalahti
+358 50 559 2940
mika.loukkalahti(at)helen.fi
