fre 8 nov 2019 11:10:00
A little over two-year project in which the oldest power line in Finland named Iron Lady is replaced with a new one has now entered the home stretch. The most challenging part of the project was crossing Iso-Henna. By Iso-Henna the new Iron Lady II power line was built simultaneously over four electrified railways and the busy Lahti motorway.
Empower and Finland's transmission system operator Fingrid carried out the railway and the motorway crossing successfully at the end of October. To minimize the effects on traffic all work was carried out at night and Empower and Fingrid designed the stoppings together with the authorities so that the traffic experienced no unnecessary standstill.
– Initially we had booked two weeks for the whole, but with everything going smoothly, we managed to complete the crossing in 7 nights. During the first night we dismantled the old Iron Lady and during the following nights the new Iron Lady II was built one by one. As the new transmission line has both 400 kV and 110 kV transmission lines with three phases, two to three conductor elements and overhead ground wires on the same pylon, this totaled some 25 crossings, says Ville Seppänen, Project Manager at Empower.
A similar location, with several train tracks and a motorway to be crossed, is not easily found in Finland. The challenging location required good planning and seamless cooperation between the various players involved. In total, some 15 professionals were present each night to take care of the different stages of the work and the traffic control in the area.
– We managed to minimize traffic disturbance and the few interruptions of about 10 minutes during the night did not generate feedback. The project has proceeded according plans and I'm pleased with our collaboration and the team, which succeeded well in such an exceptional work. This is a good way to continue, comments Project Manager Hannu Kuikka at Fingrid.
Empower is building Finland's transmission system operator Fingrid's new 400 + 110 kV transmission line between Hikiä substation in Hausjärvi and Orimattila's new substation. The new Hikiä - Orimattila transmission line is called Iron Lady II and replacing the last part of Finland's oldest transmission line, which was completed in the late 1920s. Iron Lady II will further improve the supply of electricity to the Lahti region and reliably transport electricity for decades to come. Close to 90-year-old line has been renewed in sections over the years. Empower PN acts as the main contractor for the last share of the project covering a 49 km long power line between Orimattila and Hikiä.