Rovakaira is an old and reputable utility company in Northern Finland that has been in operation for around 75 years. Rovakaira has 30 000 end-customers and the total length of their distribution network is around 7000 km.
Previously they have had issues locating faults and removing them fast from the distribution network. For these issues they opted for Safegrid ́s solution.
In the spring of 2023 they started using Safegrid ́s Intelligent Grid System™ for fault detection in their medium voltage network. Real-time alarms and accurate fault locating enable faster responses in problematic situations to restore the network.
Implementing the new IGS-system brought first results quickly. The first true test occured when a tree fell on customer’s overhead line while simultaneously a remote connector had broken down in the network. Safegrid located the tree’s location with verified 100m accuracy. This allowed Rovakaira to locate the fault immediately and start the repair works faster, but also allocate resources faster to repair the remote disconnector, leading to shorter outage times and cost savings.
Achieved benefits in a nutshell:
- Improved network transparency
- Outage time reduced by 30%
- Improved operational efficiency
“Safegrid IGS-system has helped us to improve fault locating and repair faults faster. We have already in short time been able to verify the benefits of the technology” – Yrjö Kallio, Maintenance Engineer