Secondary substation automation is key to the future of modern power networks. For more than ten years, Emtele has improved the responsiveness, reliability and safety of long-term partner Helen Electricity Network’s grid. The differentiators in this collaboration have been high availability, a long-term managed service model, and low lifecycle costs.
Helen Electricity Network is Finland’s third-largest distribution network operator by customer base. In addition to operating the distribution network, Helen ensures secure electricity delivery in all conditions. The service area includes numerous critical infrastructures, making supply security essential. Smooth connections for the city’s growing customer base and cost efficiency are also central objectives.
Turnkey delivery
Helen’s journey toward a more automated network began 15 years ago. The initial goal was to enable remote control of secondary substations, alarm data, fault location, and measurement data. The company started with another supplier in 2008, but after a five-year period, the market was reassessed and Emtele won the tender. The first long-term lifecycle service agreement for substation automation was signed in 2014 as a turnkey delivery. The agreement included deploying and maintaining remote control and measurement functionality for 200 substations, with an option period expanding the scope by another 150 sites.
Substation automation has delivered excellent results for grid reliability. In 2020, a follow-up agreement (3+2 years) was signed, covering remote control and measurement functionality for 150+100 substations. Today, approximately one third of Helen’s ~2700 substations are automated—an exceptionally high level by global standards.
“In our procurement processes, availability has been a key criterion. The selected supplier must commit to an availability level that we monitor together. In a large system with many components, overall functionality is crucial,” says Aki Hämäläinen, Planning Manager.
Emtele provides continuous delivery of automation devices—including engineering, testing and supply—while Helen’s contracting partner manages installation. Helen estimates that over 50 new sites are added each year, with around 550 currently in operation. The automation scope also includes mobile network connectivity and full lifecycle maintenance. In addition to regular service, Emtele handles device failures under a 15-year maintenance agreement.
“In case of issues, a ticket is opened either proactively by Emtele or by us, after which Emtele restores the system or faulty component within agreed response times,” Hämäläinen notes.
Flexibility, ease of cooperation and agility have been important factors.
“We define the required functionalities, and Emtele selects suitable automation components to assemble a solution that meets our needs. These can also be updated flexibly.”
Concrete benefits
Substation automation enables faster fault localisation—turning outages that once lasted hours into interruptions lasting only minutes. Helen Electricity Network is a global forerunner: its average annual outage time per customer is just three minutes, with a record of under 1.5 minutes. At the same time, Helen delivers some of the lowest customer tariffs among EU capitals. Automation combined with arc-suppression coil compensation has enabled a 50% reduction in outage minutes.
According to Senior Specialist Mika Loukkalahti, remote control eliminates the need to send personnel on-site. This is valuable for routine switching operations and especially in fault scenarios:
“Fault indicators allow us to locate and isolate the fault quickly and remotely. Substations provide condition and measurement data as well as alarms—such as door alarms, gas pressure alarms and temperature alarms. Having the full picture also supports long-term investment planning.”
Helen reports that the partnership has functioned well. Issues do occasionally arise—for example, server failures—but they are typically resolved quickly. The collaboration also includes continuous development:
“Even though Emtele is not a device manufacturer, they proactively assess whether new functionalities are needed, whether any component is reaching end of life, or whether another component would be a better fit,” Loukkalahti says.
For a large, long-term system investment, cost efficiency is crucial. Helen notes that Emtele performs well in this area: they understand both the functional requirements and acceptable cost levels. Despite component shortages and rising prices across industries in recent years, Hämäläinen praises Emtele’s performance—deliveries have not been delayed, and installations have progressed steadily.
Smooth cooperation
According to Emtele CEO Joonas Koivuniemi, the partnership is particularly significant:
“Helen Electricity Network operates one of the best-performing power distribution networks in the world—Helsinki residents experience remarkably few interruptions. The organisation has world-class expertise in distribution network operations. It is an honour to work with such a forerunner, and we have learned a lot along the way.”
Loukkalahti and Hämäläinen confirm Helen’s satisfaction with the long-term cooperation. They also recommend Emtele to others:
“We’ve been very satisfied and can recommend Emtele to similar operators. This is a demanding system, especially at this scale, and everything needs to operate seamlessly together. The cooperation has worked well, and Emtele’s promise at the start has been fulfilled in the big picture.”
Contacts — Helen Electricity Network
Mika Loukkalahti
Senior Specialist
+358 50 559 2940
mika.loukkalahti (at) helen.fi
Aki Hämäläinen
Planning Manager
+358 50 502 1334
aki.hamalainen (at) helen.fi
Contacts — Emtele Oy
Joni Ekholm
Business areas MUKE and FieldCom
+358 40 508 7308
joni.ekholm (at) emtele.com
