Umeå, Sweden – October 2028 – Svenska Kraftnät, Sweden’s national power grid operator, has announced 99.7% operational reliability across its 132kV Arctic substations in northern Sweden after deploying the ABB RED670 Intelligent Electronic Device (IED). The upgrade, completed in Q2 2028, replaced the operator’s 25-year-old protection systems—where extreme cold-related failures and wind energy integration challenges were causing 24 unplanned outages annually, affecting 80,000 remote residents and industrial customers.
The Challenge: Arctic Conditions and Wind Energy Volatility
Svenska Kraftnät’s northern Sweden substations face unique operational hurdles tied to Sweden’s Arctic climate and growing renewable energy capacity:
- Extreme Cold Failures: Legacy relays malfunctioned in temperatures below -30°C (common in Arctic winters), triggering 8–10 cold-related outages yearly. Each outage lasted 4–6 hours, as frozen equipment and remote locations delayed technician response.
- Wind Energy Fluctuations: Northern Sweden’s 3GW wind farms inject variable power into the grid, causing voltage and frequency swings. Old relays lacked adaptive protection logic, leading to 12–14 false trips annually when wind output spiked or dropped suddenly.
- Remote Maintenance Challenges: Substations are located up to 200km from urban centers, requiring technicians to travel via snowmobile or helicopter in winter. Annual on-site calibration of legacy relays cost €380,000 in travel and labor.
- Aging Infrastructure: 70% of the substations’ protection systems were obsolete, with replacement parts no longer manufactured—forcing Svenska Kraftnät to cannibalize parts from decommissioned sites.
“Our Arctic substations are lifelines for remote communities and critical industries like mining,” said Karin Bergström, Svenska Kraftnät’s Northern Region Operations Director. “Extreme cold and wind volatility were making reliable power delivery a constant battle. We needed an IED that could survive -40°C temperatures, adapt to renewable fluctuations, and reduce the need for costly winter maintenance trips.”
ABB RED670 IED: Arctic-Proven Protection for Modern Grids
After evaluating competitors from Siemens Energy and ABB’s previous IED generations, Svenska Kraftnät selected the RED670 for its Arctic-hardened design, wind-specific protection algorithms, and remote management capabilities:
- Arctic-Grade Durability: Tested to operate reliably at -40°C to +70°C, with heated internal components that prevent condensation and freezing. The IED’s IP54-rated enclosure resists snow, ice, and dust—critical for substation sites exposed to Arctic storms.
- Adaptive Wind Energy Protection: Built-in “wind farm mode” adjusts protection settings in real time to accommodate variable wind output. The IED detects sudden changes in power flow (e.g., 50% wind drop in 10 seconds) and modifies overcurrent/voltage thresholds to avoid false trips.
- IEC 61850-Compliant Integration: Seamlessly connects to Svenska Kraftnät’s national SCADA system (ABB System 800xA) via GOOSE and Sampled Values (SV), enabling real-time data sharing and centralized control of all Arctic substations.
- 100% Remote 运维: ABB Ability™ Network Manager allows technicians to calibrate, update firmware, and troubleshoot the RED670 from Stockholm—eliminating 95% of winter on-site visits. Built-in self-diagnostics alert operators to component degradation 3–4 months in advance.
- Multifunctional Design: Combines distance, differential, and overfrequency/underfrequency protection in one device, reducing equipment footprint by 40% and simplifying installation in space-constrained Arctic substations.
Results: Unmatched Reliability and Cost Savings
Six months post-deployment, Svenska Kraftnät’s Arctic substations achieved transformative outcomes:
| Metric |
Before ABB RED670 |
After ABB RED670 |
Improvement |
| Annual Unplanned Outages |
24 |
7 |
71% Reduction |
| Cold-Related Failures |
9/Year |
0 |
100% Elimination |
| Wind-Related False Trips |
13/Year |
1 |
92% Reduction |
| Maintenance Travel Costs |
€380,000/Year |
€19,000/Year |
95% Reduction |
| Grid Reliability |
98.2% |
99.7% |
1.5% Increase |
“The RED670 has been a game-changer for our Arctic operations,” Bergström said. “This winter, we had a -38°C storm near Kiruna—our substations stayed online without a single glitch. The remote 运维 feature saved us 12 helicopter trips, which would have cost €150,000 and put technicians at risk in harsh conditions.”
Olle Larsson, ABB’s Nordic Product Manager for Substation IEDs, emphasized the RED670’s alignment with Sweden’s energy goals: “Sweden aims to be 100% fossil-free by 2045, and northern wind farms are critical to that. The RED670 not only survives Arctic conditions but also unlocks more renewable integration by stabilizing the grid—all while cutting operational costs.”
Svenska Kraftnät plans to deploy the ABB RED670 across 22 additional Arctic and subarctic substations by 2030, targeting 99.9% grid reliability and a 60% reduction in overall substation maintenance costs.
