Datahub was a massive endeavor for electricity companies – Synerall steered its clients among the first to the system
The transition to the centralized information exchange system in the electricity market required significant investments from electricity companies. Business Director Petri Juhala explains how Synerall led its clients to the system in record time.
A historic moment was experienced in the Finnish electricity market when the centralized information exchange system Datahub was implemented in February 2022. The transition was a step towards a modern, flexible electricity system, albeit a very expensive and laborious one.
“The scale of the project is indicated by the fact that Fingrid paid about 50 million euros for Datahub. On top of this come the fees that energy companies pay for joining, using, and system changes in Datahub.”
Thousands of work hours were spent on the Datahub project at Synerall, and the project was the most labor-intensive in the company’s history. However, it managed to steer its clients to the system in record time, among the first. Juhala explains how they succeeded.
No downtime
“One of Synerall's trump cards is the high degree of automation and that we can deliver new versions of our system without downtime – as often as needed. This was of great benefit also in the Datahub project, as we were able to quickly change direction and make the changes required by the project. Transitioning to a new system version never causes downtime for our clients. It is quite typical in the industry that downtimes last for days.”
Strong understanding of the energy sector
“Our experts made really smart architectural and strategic choices. This way, neither our nor our clients’ time was wasted. Our team is very well-versed in the energy sector, which was critically important for success. Getting acclimated to Datahub is not easy. We have received appreciative feedback that we understood the issues, kept the client constantly up to date, and helped forward if they fell off the wagon.”
Representation in Datahub development groups
“We joined the Datahub system suppliers' working group, where development ideas are chewed over and commented on. Our clients also have representation in Datahub's customer and development working groups. The system gets two new versions a year, and only by actively participating in development groups can we influence what the changes are.”
Finally, Juhala wants to clarify that close connections with authorities, following the industry, and continuous discussions with clients are cornerstones of Synerall’s operations. They ensure that even large projects can be successfully completed in the future.
