Fingrid’s core duty is to ensure the functioning of critical infrastructure and prevent disruptions in Finland’s electricity supply.
Fingrid focuses on its core competences, while service providers work on transmission line and substation maintenance.
One of Fingrid’s service providers is Omexom, a subsidiary of the international VINCI Energies group. Omexom handles the maintenance and construction of Fingrid’s substations.
“Our partnership covers substation equipment maintenance, inspections, local switching, minor maintenance work on substation properties, and fault repairs,” says Marko Nauska, Project Manager at Omexom. Nauska is responsible for the substation equipment maintenance and programme.
Fingrid’s next contractual period for basic maintenance will begin at the start of 2024. More information is available to support traditional servicing activities, inspections, maintenance work and fault management.
“When digital condition monitoring is deployed, we will have real-time information on the condition of substation components, so actions can be scheduled for the right times,” says Mikko Jalonen, Transmission Line Maintenance Manager at Fingrid.
Data transferred without delays
According to Jalonen, the work of electricians has evolved over the years.
“They now need to master an increasing number of digital tools, as well as traditional maintenance and repair work.”
Nauska also says the partnership with Fingrid has taken some major steps forward in recent years. He says that the most significant development is the Maximo asset management system, which replaced the Elnet network information system.
Previously, the instructions needed to be printed on paper or the computer booted up to find them. Now, the information is shown on the phone’s screen.
“The Maximo system enabled the development of an app that all our electricians have on their phones. It shows work instructions and allows electricians to check off completed tasks from their to-do lists. Fingrid receives a report on the work straight away,” Nauska says.
Fingrid’s maintenance management is based on detailed information in databases about assets. In combination with Fingrid’s agile approach, this lays a strong foundation for rapidly developing and adapting systems and operating practices.
“We gain ideas for new experiments and developments from our service providers and by keeping our eyes and ears open to what other network operators around the world are doing and developing,” Jalonen says.
Marko Nauska and his team have also been involved in Fingrid’s development work.
“Maximo can generate many different reports, such as the success of suppliers in their tasks. Development and feedback go both ways,” Nauska says.
In his view, the future is difficult to foresee, but one thing is certain: digital tools will only become more prevalent.
The newest substations already use digital condition monitoring.
“The newest substations already use digital condition monitoring. This provides data and user experiences on where the maintenance team should focus its resources and which things require less attention,” Nauska says.
Main grid maintenance among the most efficient in the world
Since 1995, Fingrid has taken part in the International Transmission Operations and Maintenance Study (ITOMS) to promote good practices. The ITOMS evaluates the effectiveness of maintenance among electricity transmission companies every two years.
Fingrid again ranked among the top companies in the latest survey. The study examined the maintenance activities of 25 network operators in various parts of the world in 2021.
Jalonen says that participating in the study contributes to maintaining the efficiency of the transmission system operator and improving its operations. It also provides an opportunity to compare operations with similar operators outside Finland, as there are no reference companies in Finland.
“ITOMS is a highly diverse forum for exchanging information. We learn about good operating practices and innovations that we can try and adapt to our activities. We are also happy to share our good practices with others. We are regularly invited to talk about condition management in our network.”
