Elenia continues to invest around EUR 100 million in weatherproof electricity network in 2015

Elenia continues its planned network investments of around EUR 100 million this year. The investments are made in all of Elenia´s operational areas including Häme, Pirkanmaa, Central Finland as well as Southern and Northern Ostrobothnia.

Elenia’s long-term investment programme improves the security of supply and local employment within Elenia’s network area. Each year, Elenia makes more than 2,000 kilometres of its electricity network weatherproof. The underground cabling is carried out by Elenia’s wide group of contractor partners in all provinces of the network area.

Elenia has a total of approximately 67,000 kilometres of electrical network, one and half times the circumference of the Earth. The company has 415,000 customers. Elenia’s objective is to raise its underground cabling rate to 70% by 2028. In 2009, when Elenia chose to build only weatherproof distribution lines, less than 20% of the electricity lines were underground. Currently, the company’s share of underground distribution lines has exceeded 30%. By the end of the year, the share of underground distribution lines will exceed 33%.

There is a total of about 375,000 kilometres of distribution network in Finland, approximately two thirds of which are overhead lines. Especially in in rural areas, the amount of overhead lines is significant.