VEO’s substations take energy giants closer to their carbon-neutral targets

VEO has already connected a total of 4000 MW of wind power capacity to the grid in the Nordic countries, whereas the cumulative installed wind power capacity in Finland is in the order of 3000 MW. A key reason for VEO’s success, especially in large wind power projects in Norway and Sweden, is VEO’s modular substation solution designed, pre-fabricated and tested in Vaasa. The solution, scalable to projects of any size, has been developed over more than 15 years to meet a broad variety of client needs. VEO’s electrification expertise also plays an important role in the large-scale wind power projects of Finnish energy giants.

Wind farms are an important measure for large energy companies in their journey towards greener energy production. VEO’s modular substation solution has been selected for a major joint project between Fortum and Helen, two of Finland’s largest electricity companies, involving two new wind farms which will be connected to the grid in 2023.

Together, the wind farms in Närpiö and Kristiinankaupunki (Pjelax-Böle/Kristiinankaupunki Pohjoinen) will increase Finland’s wind power capacity by 380 MW and generate clean wind power to meet the needs of 220 000 households. As Helen will purchase approximately half of the generated wind power, the parks will play a crucial role in the company’s coal phase-out.

The cooperation between VEO and Fortum began already in 2019 with Kalax’s 90 MW wind farm project, which when completed in 2020 was Fortum’s largest domestic wind farm.

“Our park in Kalax is an important milestone in Fortum’s strategy to build gigawatt-scale, zero-emission renewable capacity. For this strategy, our collaboration partners are important, and we appreciate the expertise and flexibility VEO brings to our projects,” says Mikko Iso-Tryykäri, Vice President, Wind and Solar Development at Fortum.

VEO’s references in Norway and Sweden prove that VEO’s substation solutions and expertise are suitable for large-scale wind power projects. Utilising its substation concept, VEO has connected the Bjerkreim wind park (294 MW) in 2019 and the Öjfjellet wind park (400 MW) in 2021 in Norway, and the Åndberg wind park (286 MW) in Sweden in 2021. In addition, the Önusberget wind park (2 x 375 MW) and the Björnberg wind park (372 MW) in Sweden are also nearing completion.

Juha-Petteri Lesonen, Sales Manager, Substations at VEO, believes that VEO’s strong role on the Nordic wind power market is due to VEO’s highly flexible concept: “The modular concept allows for a cost-efficient customisation of the substation. In addition, prefabrication, the fitting of equipment and system testing at our factory, makes working conditions safer, the security of supply better, and decreases the working time on site.”

The development is in line with VEO’s strategy which focuses on supporting VEO’s clients in their transition towards a more sustainable future.

Additional information:
Juha-Petteri Lesonen, Myyntipäällikkö, Substations, VEO Oy, juha-petteri.lesonen@veo.fi, +358 207 1901

Read more about VEO’s wind power projects

Fortum: Kalax, Närpiö

Energiequelle: Takanebacken, Maalahti; Torvenkylä, Kalajoki

Luxcara: Bjerkreim, Norway

Luxcara: Önusberget, Sweden