A large carbon handprint benefits the climate

02.3.2020

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In order to enable Finland to reach its climate targets, Fingrid must ensure that renewable energy producers are connected to the main grid and that the energy is transmitted onwards for customers and society to use.

In 2019, Fingrid connected 132 megawatts of wind power production to its network. New connection agreements have been signed for approximately 2,000 megawatts, an amount which is expected to be realised in the coming years.

Satu Vuorikoski, Corporate Responsibility Development Manager, highlights the substantial positive climate effects of connecting wind power to the grid. In order to enable Finland to reach its climate targets, Fingrid must ensure that renewable energy producers are connected to the main grid and that the energy is transmitted onwards for customers and society to use. The climate benefits arising from Fingrid’s work are much larger than the carbon dioxide emissions arising from the construction and operation of the main grid.

“When the full amount of wind power production included in the connection agreements comes to fruition, we will indirectly avoid approximately 1.1 million tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent of emissions in the coming years. This is our carbon handprint for positive climate development.”

The reduction in emissions corresponds to the annual carbon footprints of approximately 110,000 Finns, as every person leaves an annual carbon footprint of 10 tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent.

The environment is grateful
for careful oil tracking

Placing a containment basin beneath the substation transformer ensures that oil cannot escape into the natural environment in the event of a leak. However, containment basins are uncovered areas, so rain may cause the basins to fill up with water. The water that accumulates in the basis is regularly drained.

If oil flows into the basin, the normal way to ensure that it is removed is to build a conventional oil sump connected to the basin. However, this is not always possible. Old substations often do not have enough space, and in Northern Finland, the matter is further complicated by the fact that the frost is deeper than in other parts of the country.

A new technique for safeguarding the environment has been introduced on sites like these.
“A fixed device uses sensors to track the height of the water, and when it surpasses a set threshold, the device automatically begins draining the water. The device examines the purity of the water optically, and if it detects oil in the water, it returns it to the containment basin,” says Maija Nurmi, Fingrid’s Environmental Specialist.

Nurmi emphasises that no oily water is discharged into the environment under any circumstances: a tanker is sent to remove the oil remaining in the basin. In the winter, the water freezes and the device goes into hibernation. When the water melts, the device begins draining it.

This tracking system is used in 10 substations, some of which are jointly used by Kemijoki Oy’s hydro power plants. The operation of the devices can be monitored in real-time over the internet, which further improves the security of the system. The devices also enable the seals on the containment basins to be checked.

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