Power transformer arrives from Slovenia at Pyhäselkä substation

A power transformer weighing almost 300 tonnes arrived at the Pyhäselkä substation in Muhos on Sunday, 18 October. The transformer will be equipped and ready for use by the end of 2020, and will be connected to the grid during the summer of 2021. 

The transformer completed a long journey in the hands of transport professionals before arriving at the substation. The journey began in Slovenia at Kolektor ETRA’s factory, with the transformer first travelling by train to Lintz, Austria. From there it was transferred onto a ferry on the River Danube. It travelled along the waterway all the way to Rotterdam in the Netherlands. In Rotterdam, the transformer was loaded onboard a ship and shipped to Vuosaari in Finland. In Finland, it was then transported by rail to Lehtoselkä in Muhos using a special wagon. The transport was arranged over two weekends in order to avoid disrupting other traffic. The rest of the way to the substation was handled with a truck. For the final leg of the journey, it was necessary to drive the truck in reverse. To make things more difficult, this coincided with the first snowfall of the autumn.

The power transformer is part of the renovation work on the Oulujoki electricity network

The Oulujoki network, which was originally built in the 1950s, will be gradually renewed for approximately EUR 48 million. With the renewal of the network, the voltage level of the grid in the area will change from 220 kilovolts to 110 kilovolts. The first phase from 2019 to 2022 consists of constructing the section between the substations in Pyhäselkä and Nuojua in Vaala. At this stage, the Pyhäselkä substation will be expanded and the Nuojua (new station: Nuojuankangas) and Utanen substations will be replaced. A new transmission line of approximately 45 kilometres will be built between Pyhäselkä and Nuojuankangas, most of which will be located to the west of the existing transmission lines. The transmission line will be implemented with structures of 400 + 110 kilovolts. It will be an important part of the long-term development of the 400 kilovolt transmission line connection in eastern Finland, called the Lake Line. Fingrid has planned the development of the power grid in close co-operation with its customers, electricity producers, and distribution system operators in the area.

The main contractor of the Pyhäselkä substation (electrical system deliveries) is Omexom (Infratek Finland Oy), the main transformer is supplied by KOLEKTOR ETRA (Slovenia), and the reactors are supplied by Siemens Oy (Trench). Empower PN Oy is the main contractor (electrical system deliveries) for the Utanen and Nuojuankangas substations. The transmission line contract between Pyhäselkä and Nuojuankangas is being implemented by Eltel Networks Oy.

Additional information:

Risto Ryynänen, Senior Project Manager
tel. +358 30 395 5219

Juha Pikkupeura, Senior Project Manager
tel. +358 30 3954169

email address format: firstname.lastname@fingrid.fi