Helen Electricity Network, Eltel and Reka Cables pilot low-carbon electricity network construction in Helsinki: putting the impact into everyday terms
Across the energy sector, attention is increasingly turning to Scope 3 emissions, which arise throughout a company’s value chain, including from purchased materials, transportation and contracting. Reducing emissions from electricity network construction requires collaboration across the entire value chain.
A pilot project being carried out in the Tali district of Helsinki forms part of the companies’ joint efforts to reduce emissions generated throughout the electricity network construction value chain. The aim of the pilot is to combine the expertise of the network operator, the network contractor and the cable manufacturer, while gathering practical experience of how low-carbon material solutions perform in real-world network construction.
"As an electricity network operator, we are continuously looking for ways to reduce emissions arising from the construction value chain. This pilot will provide valuable information on how lower-carbon material solutions perform in practice. The aim is to gather experience and data that will help assess their suitability for future network projects," says Jyrki Nieminen, Director of Asset Management at Helen Electricity Network.
Low-carbon cable tested in practical network construction
The pilot uses Reka Cables’ AXMK/PE LC Low Carbon aluminium power cable, manufactured using low-carbon aluminium and recycled plastics.
"Reducing Scope 3 emissions requires concrete action across the entire value chain. Cables represent a significant share of the materials used in electricity network construction, which means that the emissions associated with them also matter," says Kari Ingalsuo, Quality and Sustainability Manager at Reka Cables.
From Eltel’s perspective, the pilot provides an opportunity to test the use of low-carbon materials in practice and assess their role in the future of network construction.
"As a network contractor, we see that reducing supply chain emissions requires close collaboration across the value chain. This pilot is an excellent example of how a network operator, material supplier and contractor can work together to identify practical ways of reducing the environmental impact of electricity network construction. At the same time, it gives us valuable experience of how low-carbon materials perform under real construction conditions," says Joni Partanen, Regional Manager at Eltel.
What does the emissions reduction mean in practice?
In network construction, the impact of individual material choices can be surprisingly significant. Using AXMK/PE LC Low Carbon 4x185 S cable reduces emissions by approximately 5.7 tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent for every 500 metres of cable installed compared with a conventional equivalent cable.
According to Partanen, around 30 kilometres of aluminium power cable with a similar cross-section are installed annually in Helsinki. Ingalsuo illustrates the significance of the material choice through everyday comparisons:
"If the entire annual volume were installed using AXMK/PE LC Low Carbon cable, the resulting emissions reduction would be approximately 342 tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent. This is comparable to driving a passenger car around 2.14 million kilometres. Put another way, it corresponds to the average carbon footprint of a Finn over roughly 45 and a half years."
Pilot to support future network projects
When introducing low-carbon materials, emissions reductions are only part of the picture. Equally important is gaining practical experience of how these materials perform in standard network construction projects. Throughout the pilot, the use of the material and observations made during construction will be monitored to evaluate and further develop the use of low-carbon solutions in future network projects.
The pilot aims to generate knowledge and practical experience that will help the electricity network sector reduce construction-related emissions more effectively in the future.