2 min read

Hundreds of Thousands Saved by Preventing Faults Early

Company	Griug
Location	Norway
Timeline	2025
Project Overview	Griug leveraged Safegrid’s intelligent monitoring capabilities to detect early warning signs of a critical fault at the K35010 Vaset Connection Kiosk. By combining Safegrid data insights with on-site diagnostics, the utility identified a developing failure and implemented corrective actions before it escalated—avoiding major outages and costly equipment damage.
Products	Safegrid Smart Fault Prediction Tool

This is a Safegrid Case Study.

Background

Griug is a Norwegian grid operator focused on delivering safe, reliable power through proactive maintenance and operational excellence. Monitoring critical infrastructure is essential, particularly in high-load environments such as connection kiosks that manage multiple circuits and feed key stations.

At the K35010 Vaset Connection Kiosk, which operates five circuits and connects two stations, maintaining reliability is crucial. Even a single undetected issue could lead to significant service disruptions and high repair costs.

Challenge

Griug had observed irregular activity in Safegrid’s monitoring data for some time, but no clear fault had been identified. This created uncertainty, as:

No visible or confirmed issue could explain the anomalies
The kiosk was a critical node in the network
Potential failure risks included costly outages and equipment damage
Traditional inspection methods alone were insufficient to diagnose the problem

During a field visit, technicians detected an unusual noise inside the kiosk, raising concerns about a developing fault.

Solution

Griug combined Safegrid data insights with targeted field investigation:

Key steps:

Follow-up inspection conducted after detecting abnormal noise
Use of a Partial Discharge (PD) camera to assess the condition
Confirmation of elevated PD activity and worsening conditions
Visual identification of white discoloration on a transition link sleeve—an early sign of failure

Immediate actions taken:

Switched one transformer to generator operation
Took the busbar out of service to prevent escalation
Ordered and installed new transition links the next day

The system was safely restored to normal operation within 24 hours.

Benefits

The combined use of Safegrid and PD diagnostics provided critical advantages:

Early detection of hidden faults before failure
Accurate condition monitoring and risk identification
Reduced likelihood of catastrophic equipment damage
Faster, data-driven decision-making
Strengthened preventive maintenance practices

Results

The proactive response delivered significant outcomes:

Fault identified and resolved before escalation
Several hundred thousand kroner saved in avoided costs
Rapid restoration of normal operation within 24 hours
Prevention of a potentially major outage

“By detecting the issue before it escalated, we’ve potentially saved several hundred thousand. It’s great to see that Safegrid and the PD camera can enable preventive measures.”
— Espen Sørlie, Griug

Conclusion

This case demonstrates the value of combining intelligent grid monitoring with advanced diagnostic tools to enable truly proactive maintenance. By acting on early warning signals detected by Safegrid, Griug prevented a major failure, minimized risk, and achieved significant cost savings.

The result is a more resilient and reliable grid—showing how data-driven insights can transform uncertainty into decisive action and long-term operational value.