Vantaan Energia, one of Finland’s largest urban energy companies and a leader in sustainable district heating and electricity solutions, has selected Elisa Industriq’s energy optimization service, Gridle (formerly known as Elisa DES), to optimize its new 10 MW / 10 MWh battery energy storage system (BESS) in Rekola, Vantaa. This investment contributes to the company’s target to become the leading circular energy company in the Nordics by 2035.
Scheduled to start operating in late 2025, the Rekola battery will provide much-needed flexibility to the Finnish energy system. The battery has sufficient capacity to power 2,000 electric saunas for an hour, illustrating its potential to support peak demand and grid stability. This project demonstrates Vantaan Energia’s pioneering role in energy flexibility alongside its development of the world’s largest seasonal heat storage facility, Varanto.
“The Rekola battery investment is part of the new integrated energy system, which requires flexible assets—not only flexible electric heat production units but also energy storage solutions for both heat and electricity. To achieve this, we sought out the most capable optimization partner for our battery. In a thorough and competitive selection process, Elisa Industriq stood out as a reliable and innovative organization with a strong track record in operating and optimizing mission-critical infrastructure. Its energy flexibility service, Gridle, perfectly aligns with our needs and already enjoys a strong reputation,” says Sami Lehtiniemi, SVP, Power Generation from Vantaan Energia.
Vantaan Energia is leveraging Gridle to maximize returns and capture the full market potential of the Rekola battery energy storage system. Gridle provides Vantaan Energia’s trading system with dynamic multi-market asset plans updated near real-time. Gridle optimization goes beyond simple scheduling: it uses AI and machine learning to analyze market conditions, to forecast available flexible capacity, and to determine the most profitable bid strategies across electricity wholesale and Fingrid’s (Finland’s national electricity transmission system operator) balancing services markets. For Vantaan Energia, Gridle provides optimal financial returns while supporting the stability of the grid in the process.
“It’s an honor for us to partner with Vantaan Energia, a true pioneer in the green transition. Their energy storage investments are setting benchmarks for how energy companies can drive system flexibility and sustainability. With Gridle, we’re proud to be helping Vantaan Energia advance this important mission and maximize its financial viability through intelligent optimization,” says Jukka-Pekka Salmenkaita, Head of Gridle and VP of AI at Elisa Industriq.
The agreement highlights Gridle’s ability to optimize both large, centralized assets and smaller, distributed batteries, reinforcing Elisa Industriq’s and Gridle’s position as a trusted partner in the digitalization of energy markets.
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