Elering Completes New Substation in Aruküla

Last week, Elering took delivery of a newly constructed substation in Aruküla, completing a 16-million-euro renovation project of the facility.

Taavi Veskimägi, Elering’s Chairman of the Board, said that the Aruküla substation was one of the company’s last major nodal substations to need renovation. Along with the Kiisa and Harku substations, it is one of the three nodes that supply Tallinn’s electricity.

“As the result of its determined efforts over the last decade, Elering has overcome the nearly 10-year shortfall in substation investment of the 1990s, and most of the facilities now meet modern technical requirements. In order to continue reducing the number of interruptions in the supply of electricity to customers, the focus of investment in the transmission system will shift from the substations to power line renovations starting from 2013. In addition to the reconstruction of entire lines, next year will see the launch of a special program of maintenance for existing lines, encompassing activities from accelerated removal of dangerous trees in the line corridors to the installation of bird obstructions on towers,” explained Veskimägi.

The new Aruküla substation was built by AS Merko Infra at a cost of 7.2 million euros. The work was completed ahead of schedule. According to the original plan, the substation was to be finished by the end of October 2013.

The substation renovation proceeded in three phases. The Chinese-manufactured 330 kV power transformers were procured and installed by Skanska EMV AS, at a cost of 3.7 million euros. The substation was connected to the existing Balti-Harku overhead transmission line using a brand new 11.2-kilometer-long 330kV overhead line. The construction of the new overhead line to feed the substation cost 3.8 million euros, and the works were performed by Eltel Networks AS.

Along with additional works, the total cost of the renovation of the Aruküla substation came to 15.9 million euros.

The Aruküla substation was originally built in 1967, and its technical condition deteriorated to an unsatisfactory level because of age. Previously, the Aruküla substation worked at a voltage of 220 kV, and the substation was transferred to a new 330kV feed in the course of the renovation. The switch to the higher voltage helps to reduce the losses within the electrical grid, increases the network’s transmission capacity, and reduces the need for imposing limitations on the transmission capacity of the EstLink1 interconnection between Estonia and Finland.