Forsyning Helsingør serves a Danish coastal city that is changing quickly. As homes, businesses, and transport in Helsingør electrify, the distribution grid must do more with the assets already in place, while preparing for new loads. This made the utility initiate a project with ABB: to build a digital map that shows how the grid is actually being used – a shift from gut feeling to real, continuous data. With this map, operators can clearly identify where capacity is becoming strained and plan upgrades where they will deliver the greatest impact.
“We wanted fewer interruptions and smarter investments - upgrades that directly address real bottlenecks,” said Dennis Knudsen, Operations Manager at Elektrus, the grid operator in Forsyning Helsingør Group.
Data before design
Before designing any technical solution, Elektrus and ABB started with data. Measurements were gathered from representative stations to build a shared understanding of load flows and stress points across the grid.
Two factors were particularly important: an aging medium-voltage network with many paper insulated cables, and a shifting consumption pattern driven by electric vehicles, charging stations, and new demand profiles.
“Previously, we relied on occasional spot measurements taken a few times a year. We didn’t have a clear picture of what was happening out in the grid,” Knudsen explains. “With online measurements and historical data, we can now see local peaks, capacity limits, and long-term loading patterns. It’s the difference between relying on intuition and having real knowledge.”
Katarina Jepsen and Dennis Knudsen from Elektrus in Forsyning Helsingør are planning upgrades that will enable growth without risking outages. 
Dennis Knudsen and Arne Adelholm Nielsen discussing the next steps in the project
Together with ABB, the utility has shifted from isolated readings to continuous monitoring, actionable insights, and more informed planning.
“We can now see consumption in real time and act before a fault becomes an outage,” says Knudsen.
Collaboration when it really counts
The digital rollout is happening step by step. Of the city’s 170 stations, 55 are already part of the digital platform, and the results are clear: when data becomes visible, operators can intervene earlier, pinpoint faults faster, and plan network reconfigurations with lower risk.
Throughout the project, Elektrus and ABB have worked closely together - even when challenges arose.
“Any issues that came up along the way, we solved together,” says Arne Adelholm Nielsen, Area Sales Manager at ABB. “At one stage, relocating the VPN concentrator and SCADA (Supervisory Control And Data Acquisition) server to a data center caused short operational interruptions, which were addressed through tight coordination between Elektrus, ABB, and the IT provider. These experiences now serve as guiding principles for next phases of the rollout.
“This is a partnership. When something happens, we pick up the phone and fix it together,” Nielsen adds.
Security of supply and future readiness
Elektrus is among the few utilities aiming to digitalize the entire grid - not just selected stations. This full-scale approach has delivered faster value and a more solid data foundation.
For residents of Helsingør, the benefits are real: fewer outages, faster restoration when incidents occur, and more targeted investments in the power infrastructure - ensuring resources are used where they create the most value.
The utility is now continuing deployment at a pace of 20-25 stations per year and is preparing integration with flexible assets such as BESS (battery energy storage systems). The ambition is a stronger, more efficient, and future-proof grid that supports customers, the climate, and the municipality.
The solution: From mosaic panels to grid intelligence
Instead of starting with a product list, the team began with data: equipping representative stations with instrumentation to continuously gather data and using that information to develop a ‘living map’ of actual grid utilization. The technology includes:
- ZEE600 SCADA as the monitoring and visualization layer, tailored closely to customer needs
- AdvaSense medium-voltage sensors are used for current measurements from the cables. The measurement data is gathered and sent over a wireless communication network to the ZEE600 SCADA.
- InLine II fuse switch disconnectors with the ITS2.1 Monitoring Unit for data accessibility and grid insights
