Vallisaari, an island in Helsinki, Finland, was transferred from the nation’s defense forces to civilian use in 2016 and immediately became one of the region’s most popular summer attractions, drawing as many as 90,000 visitors in the summer month.
“The zoning plan of the island is not yet complete, but it already has been vigorously developed in accordance with the town plan as a maritime nature tourism destination,” said Aino von Boehm, special designer at Metsähallitus, the state-owned enterprise that manages the island. “Helsinki’s Biennial plans accelerated the construction of the island's infrastructure.”
New infrastructure
The island’s aged electrical infrastructure has been modernized with a strong and up-to-date low-voltage network, which is safe for the public environment, optimized for continuous operation, easy to work with for the installers and flexible for future expansion. A crucial element of this network is the deployment of durable outdoor ABB Kabeldon cable distribution cabinets that serve as distribution points for cables feeding the entire electrical system. The cabinets are fully assembled with busbars and busbar supports, completed, tested, verified and delivered from the factory, ready for direct installation.
Management of Vallisaari’s electricity network will be transferred from the Finnish Defense Administration to Helen, Helsinki’s energy company, in the next few years. "Since Vallisaari will be connected to Helen's network, all its components must comply with Helen's technical requirements," said Tom Karls-son, key account manager at Onninen, an electrical wholesaler.
Electrical contractor Jeti-Sähkö, based in Porvoo, Finland, installed seven robust Kabeldon cable distribution cabinets that were delivered to the island by ABB. They act as nodes in the island’s electricity grid, from which the cables branch in different directions. They also help to protect the network. The largest cabinets for robust use are in the 1000 A range.
“The cabinets will be used to meet the electricity needs for such services as the water pumping station in the new water supply network, as well as the café and service buildings on the island and the future Biennial exhibition spaces,” says Karlsson.
During 2020, the services on the island became even more diverse and extensive, expanding the need for a highly reliable electrical network.
“A new pier has been built in the guest marina,” Boehm noted, “and there is also a separate pier for the water buses. There will be a café and an ice cream parlor to serve visitors. Other services will be improved, as well.”
The cable distribution cabinets at Vallisaari were tailored to the customer needs so that they could serve future users of the island.
“ABB and Jeti-Sähkö installed energy meters and group switchboards as additional components in the cabinets,” Karlsson explained. “If necessary, they can be used to make temporary connections to the needs of the island's events and to measure the electricity used in them. In this way, operations can be scaled according to varying needs.”
