New two-circuit transmission line supports increased electricity consumption in Southern Finland
Fingrid will build a strong two-circuit main transmission line from Alajärvi to Hausjärvi to facilitate electricity transmission from the west coast’s major wind power production hub to consumption sites elsewhere. The 400-kilovolt transmission link, to be completed between 2028 and 2029, is part of the Lowlands Line. It will enable significant volumes of new electricity consumption in Southern Finland, facilitate transmission outages and improve the reliability of the entire power system. The investment costs of the project are over EUR 160 million.
The northward concentration of electricity production, the increased electricity consumption in the south and the decrease of combined heat and power production in Southern Finland increase the need for north-to-south electricity transmission capacity. Fingrid responds to this need with the Toivila–Hikiä main transmission link, which is part of the Lowlands Line and one of Fingrid’s most important investment projects. The new heavy-duty two-circuit 400-kilovolt connection will increase transmission capacity from the west coast and the north to Southern Finland. In addition to the transmission link, the project will expand the existing Hikiä substation.
Reinforcing the north-to-south transmission capacity will also boost the electricity market’s efficiency and enable Finland to remain a single price area in the electricity market.
Transmission needs in the main grid are increasing with approximately 5,000 MW of wind power being built on the west coast, some 2,000 MW of electric boilers under construction or completed in Southern Finland and around 600 MW of combined heat and power production from fossil fuels having been phased out. The transmission needs are also increased by large-scale grid energy storage and the electrification of SMEs and transport.
In addition to the electrification of heat production based on fossil fuels and other combustion processes, new large-scale consumption projects such as data centres and hydrogen production, as well as the electrification of existing industry, are planned for Southern Finland. The new Toivila–Hikiä connection will allow sufficient transmission capacity also for these planned large-scale industrial projects.
Investments strengthen Finland’s position as a competitive country for clean energy investments
The Toivila–Hikiä link will be completed in stages. The first transmission line section from Toivila to Hikiä will be completed in 2028, and the second in early 2029. The investment costs of the project are over EUR 160 million.
The project is part of a larger effort to strengthen Fingrid’s north-to-south transmission capacity. The first part of the Lowlands Line will be completed between 2027 and 2028 as the Jylkkä–Alajärvi–Toivila section enables the transfer of wind power to the south from the major wind power production hub on the west coast. The second section of the Lowlands Line (Toivila–Hikiä) will transfer wind power production further to the consumption centres of Southern Finland.
Fingrid plans to invest approximately EUR 4 billion in the main grid over the next ten years to power the green transition. The planned projects are based on forecasts of Finland’s future electricity production and consumption structure. One precondition for the realisation of the investment programme is a licensing and regulatory environment that supports the main grid investments.
Reinforcing the main grid will boost Finland’s internal electricity transmission capacity, strengthen cross-border connections, and enable new customer projects to connect to the main grid.
Further information:
Timo Kiiveri, Executive Vice President, Fingrid Oyj. tel. +358 40 543 3039
e-mail addresses are in the form firstname.lastname@fingrid.fi