Recording of Tuesday, May 06, 2025 | The smarter E Europe | Conference Program | Language: English | Duration: 9:22 .

Elenia's Strategic Investments in Underground Cabling to Enhance Finland’s Power Grid Resilience Amid Climate Challenges

Harri Salomäki, from Finland's second-largest Distribution System Operator (DSO), Elenia, discusses the company's strategic investments and challenges in modernizing its electrical grid. In response to a 2011 climate event that left many without power for over a week, Finnish regulations now mandate shorter outage durations by 2036. This has necessitated significant investment in converting overhead lines to underground cables due to environmental vulnerabilities of forested areas. Since 2012, Elenia has invested over €1.6 billion towards this goal and plans further investments totaling €2.4 million more than initially anticipated due to rapid changes in environmental conditions. Salomäki emphasizes the importance of communicating these efforts' value to customers amid political debates on funding such projects. He highlights ongoing global supply chain issues affecting material availability as well as technological shifts requiring adaptation within their systems like SmartMeters integration. Elenia aims for sustainable development through collaboration with stakeholders while addressing infrastructure needs amidst evolving energy landscapes globally and locally.

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Speaker

Harri Salomäki
Head of Asset Management and Partnerships
Elenia
Finland

Talk of session: Developing the Future Distribution Grid

The global energy landscape is changing rapidly as demand for electricity increases and distributed generation becomes more widespread. In their efforts to modernize and expand an already aging power grid, utilities and grid operators face significant obstacles and challenges in maintaining system stability and resilience. In addition, shortages of skilled labor and materials are slowing infrastructure development. Addressing these issues requires technological innovation, policy reforms, and collaboration across the energy industry. The session will explore how to create a power system that is not only reliable and secure but also flexible enough to adapt the changing energy landscape.

Further Talks of this session:

Welcome and Introduction

Speaker

Carmen Gimeno
Secretary General
GEODE
Belgium

Recording of presentation not authorized for publication.

The Energy Transition - Challenges for Grid Operators

Speaker

Luís Vale Cunha
Chairman
ETIP SNET
Portugal

To Talk

Bringing Flexibility to the System - Local Flexibility Markets

Speaker

Rune Hogga
Head of Flexibility
A Energi
Norway

To Talk

Grid Management Optimization - New Technology Solutions

Speaker

Mark Nigge-Uricher
Senior Business Developer
Alliander N.V.
The Netherlands

To Talk

Unlocking Flexibility - Bridging the Gap Between Flexibility Demand and Supply for Grid Stability

Speaker

Maddalena Pondini
Sustainability Advisory Expert
Siemens AG
Germany

Recording of presentation not authorized for publication.

Panel Discussion

To Talk

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