Fingrid has been given a central role in Finnish society. Finland runs on electricity, and Fingrid’s task is to secure reliable electricity for society. The power system is undergoing a major change; and we are expected to be increasingly active in terms of shaping the market-based power system of the future – in close cooperation with market actors, the authorities and political decision-makers.
In order to develop our activities, which have an impact on all of Finnish society, we are actively asking different stakeholders for their opinions on how we have succeeded in our operations. The latest results show that we have done very well. In September, we were named the world’s best transmission system operator at the international CHARGE 2018 energy branding competition. We received special mention on a global scale for being a national monopoly with exceptional consumer focus and outward vision.
Our new customer survey reinforces this message: 87% of our customers would recommend Fingrid’s way of working with customers. Customer satisfaction has increased in all areas in comparison to last year’s survey. Our latest personnel survey also provided great results: Fingrid employees understand the company’s targets very well and, in comparison to other Finnish expert organisations, are exceptionally committed to implementing them.
Our finances are well-balanced from the perspective of customers and owners. Main grid transmission fees are among the lowest in Europe. One of the reason for this is the company’s excellent cost efficiency. We recently surprised our customers by announcing that, from the beginning of 2019, we will be reducing electricity transmission fees in the main grid by an average of 8%. Our operations have a strong foundation, and our investment programme for the coming years is at a reasonable level in comparison to other European countries. As a result, main grid pricing is expected to remain stable in the future as well. This is our way of contributing to Finland’s competitiveness.
We talk a lot about climate change and Fingrid’s role in combating it. What could be more important? We have defined our role as one that involves creating a platform for a clean power system. This role includes managing Finland’s main grid and developing it to meet future needs. The role also includes monitoring and operation of the power system at all times, and ensuring that society can receive reliable electricity also in the future. This work requires continuous development as the power system becomes even more complex and dynamic.
Our role in creating the platform for a clean power system is complemented by our task of shaping the electricity market so that it can balance electricity production and consumption in a future power system that will have less production flexibility than the current one. It’s clear that we can’t do all this alone, and we will continue to successfully cooperate with our outstanding partners!
We promise to keep delivering. Responsibly.
Jukka Ruusunen
President and CEO