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Reducing Outage Time by 45% with Intelligent Fault Location

Company	Parikkalan Valo
Location	Eastern Finland
Timeline	2023
Project Overview	Parikkalan Valo deployed Safegrid’s Intelligent Grid System® to improve fault detection, speed up repair operations, and reduce outage durations. The solution enabled precise fault location in complex network environments, significantly improving response times and operational efficiency.
Products	Safegrid Intelligent Grid System®

This is a Safegrid Case Study.

Background

Founded in 1936, Parikkalan Valo is a long-established utility serving approximately 10,000 customers across a 2,700 km distribution network in Eastern Finland. The utility operates in areas with remote and challenging terrain, making fault detection and repair particularly demanding.

To improve reliability and streamline operations, Parikkalan Valo sought a solution that could accurately locate faults and support faster decision-making for field teams.

Challenge

Parikkalan Valo faced several operational challenges:

Difficulty locating faults in multi-branch network structures
Time-consuming fault detection in remote and rugged terrain
Delays in dispatching field crews due to uncertain fault locations
Longer outage durations impacting customers
Limitations of existing distribution management systems

Traditional systems struggled to provide precise fault locations, especially in complex feeder configurations.

Solution

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

Key capabilities:

Precise identification of fault locations in complex networks
Real-time alerts for faster response
Improved visibility into grid events

Example incident:

A two-phase short circuit occurred on a feeder
The existing system could not locate the fault due to network complexity
Safegrid pinpointed a single fault location
Field crews were dispatched immediately to the indicated area
A tree hanging on the power line was identified and removed

Benefits

The Safegrid solution delivered multiple operational advantages:

Improved fault isolation accuracy
Faster and more efficient resource allocation
Reduced reliance on manual fault tracing
Enhanced decision-making in complex network scenarios
Improved performance in remote and difficult environments

Results

With Safegrid’s Intelligent Grid System®, Parikkalan Valo achieved:

45% reduction in outage time
Faster fault detection and repair
Improved field crew efficiency
Increased reliability of power supply

“Safegrid has enabled us to locate and isolate faults faster in our network. This has led to faster repair and restoration times.”
— Vesa Naukkarinen, Planning Manager

Conclusion

Parikkalan Valo’s experience demonstrates how advanced fault location technology can significantly improve grid operations. By adopting Safegrid’s Intelligent Grid System®, the utility overcame challenges related to complex networks and difficult terrain, enabling faster fault response and reducing outages by nearly half.

This case highlights the importance of accurate, real-time monitoring in delivering reliable electricity and optimizing maintenance operations in modern power distribution networks.