CGI wins contract to run datahub for Finnish electricity transmissions
Montreal-based IT and business consultancy CGI has been selected to build and support an electricity information exchange for Fingrid Datahub Oy, a subsidiary of Finland’s electricity transmissions operator Fingrid Oyj. The contract is valued at €41.9 million.
Like most others, the utilities sector is looking at a sea change as the traditionally slow-moving sector gears up for digital transformation. Smart energy demand response, self-repairing systems, automated processes, and blockchain registry energy exchanges are among the technologies threatening to revolutionize how power is delivered to consumers across the world. According to consultancy McKinsey & Company, the utility of the future will be a fully digital system.
In this digitally accelerating environment, Finland’s electricity transmissions operator Fingrid Oyj has awarded a €41.9 million contract to Montreal-based IT consulting firm CGI to design, build, and support its centralized Datahub – which will store and manage data from Fingrid’s 3.5 million energy consumption locations. The contract consists of project delivery (€14.6 million), licences (€12.0 million), and support and maintenance services for four years following the launch (€15.3 million). The Datahub system is set to launch in April 2021.
Fingrid Datahub Oyj will use CGI’s proprietary central market system (CMS), which stores information related to metering points, contracts, and energy measurement data, while also offering functions for grid fee billing and settlement. The hub’s advanced process automation will also allow for the rapid development of the retail electricity market, enhancing the speed and efficiency of the data exchange required by the market. In a retail market, consumers choose their supplier from competing electricity retailers, with real-time market pricing.
“The energy sector will undergo a major transformation in the coming years,” said Datahub Oy’s CEO, Asta Sihvonen-Punkka. “We are heading towards a clean and reliable market-based electricity system. The Datahub will play a very important role in this electricity market transition. A high-quality and skilfully implemented system will foster a well-functioning retail electricity market in Finland.”
The Datahub also addresses the requirements of the energy sector, Finnish legislation, and Fingrid itself in regard to data processing, data protection, data security, support, and maintenance.
The hub will further facilitate Finland’s efforts towards becoming a fossil fuel-free society – with plans to already phase out coal by 2025. “It is a safe way to go to a fossil-free Finnish society and enable energy-sector innovations, such as optimised energy use and storage or, for instance, new electricity packages for consumers and drivers of electric cars,” commented Riku Rokala, VP, Telecom & Utilities, CGI Finland.
CGI has built and currently supports two-thirds central market systems around the world. The consultancy has over 40 years’ experience supporting the transformation of global utilities, and is a partner to over 450 utility providers – including 8 of the top 10 providers in North America and Europe.
This is the most recent in a slew of innovative digital transformation projects CGI has been helming in Europe. The consulting firm recently launched an open banking solution, as well as a digital guide app for libraries and museums currently being used in Sweden.
