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Muonion Sähköosuuskunta Relies on Safegrid’s IGS-system

Company	Muonion Sähköosuuskunta
Location	Finnish Lapland, north of the Arctic Circle
Timeline	2023
Project Overview	Muonion Sähköosuuskunta deployed Safegrid’s Intelligent Grid System® (IGS) to improve fault detection and enhance grid resilience in extreme Arctic conditions. The solution enabled faster fault localization, reduced outage durations, and improved decision-making based on real-time monitoring.
Products	Safegrid Intelligent Grid System®

Featured Image (51) This is a Safegrid Case Study.

Background

Muonion Sähköosuuskunta operates in one of the most challenging environments in Finland. The network is located in Lapland’s Arctic region, characterized by:

Rough terrain and mountainous areas (fells)
Extreme winter conditions, with temperatures dropping to –20°C
Remote locations that make maintenance and fault finding difficult

In such conditions, even short power outages can have serious consequences for customers, making reliability a critical priority.

Challenge

The utility faced several operational challenges:

Difficulty locating faults quickly in remote and rugged terrain
Limited visibility into fault locations
Increased risk of prolonged outages in harsh weather
Multiple reclosing events before faults could be resolved
Need for better, data-driven decision-making

Traditional methods resulted in longer search times and inefficiencies during outage events.

Solution

Safegrid’s Intelligent Grid System® was introduced to provide real-time monitoring and accurate fault location.

Key capabilities:

Precise fault localization for faster field response
Real-time insights into grid behavior
Identification of fault recurrence across reclosing events

Incident example:

A permanent fault triggered protection relays and caused an outage
A delayed reclosing event also failed, indicating a persistent issue
Safegrid consistently pointed to the same fault location
Field crews were dispatched directly to the indicated area
A tree hanging on the overhead line was identified and removed

This targeted approach eliminated unnecessary searching and allowed for rapid resolution.

Benefits

The Safegrid solution delivered significant operational improvements:

Faster and more accurate fault location
Reduced need for repeated reclosing attempts
Improved grid reliability and resilience
Better decision-making based on real-time data
Increased efficiency in field operations

Results

With Safegrid’s Intelligent Grid System®, Muonion Sähköosuuskunta achieved:

50% reduction in outage time
Approximately 3 hours saved in fault search time
Fewer reclosing events required
Improved customer satisfaction and service reliability

“Safegrid has helped us to locate faults faster, reduce the amount of reclosing events, and shorten outage times.”
— Timo Rauhala, Operations Manager

Conclusion

Operating in extreme Arctic conditions requires advanced tools to maintain reliable electricity distribution. By adopting Safegrid’s Intelligent Grid System®, Muonion Sähköosuuskunta significantly improved its ability to detect and resolve faults quickly.

The result is a more resilient grid, reduced outage times, and better service for customers, demonstrating the value of intelligent monitoring in even the most demanding environments.