Härjeåns Nät AB is expanding the fiber and electricity network and is responsible for the safe operation of about 600 miles of lines that supply 27,000 customers with electricity - from Dalarna to Jämtland in the north and in between Härjedalen and Västernorrland.
The entire network must be maintained and many areas require new and rebuilt lines. It is an extensive job that affects many landowners.
From manual handling to fast digital working methods
Tomas Olofsson has been working at Härjeåns since 1981 and has been involved in the development of the energy industry.
Map management was manual before it became digital and when Tomas started at Härjeåns there was no computerization. The electricity companies went to Lantmäteriet to get an up-to-date map with the correct property designation and accurate data.
In the past, contracts were not signed for long-voltage networks, but now contracts are signed for everything, which generates many contracts. Burying low-voltage networks in a village can affect 25-30 landowners, without it being a major project. Overall, Härjeåns creates 700-800 contracts per year.
- "There is a big difference between how contracts were made in the past and now. In the past, printed standard agreements were purchased on archive paper and the agreements were filled in with a typewriter with information taken from the Land Registry at the District Court and address information from the municipality's tax lists. To produce 20 agreements with maps and valuation could take several days. Now that the process has been digitized, it can be done in an instant, "in the blink of an eye", says Tomas.
- Digitization means changing working methods, but it has worked well. A lot has been streamlined with Markkoll. What used to take two days now takes fifteen minutes.
Härjeåns has been quick to adopt digital tools
Handling the production of contract maps, for example, was previously quite time-consuming, so when Metria presented a digital solution to Härjeåns, it was received with great interest. They saw great opportunities to improve quality and streamline work with a system to build on and have followed Metria Markkoll since the start. Härjeåns started testing the system in the fall of 2022 and has been using it live since January 2023.
- We use Trimble to draw and document our electricity network and from there we export to Metria Markkoll which automatically generates agreements and maps. Metria Markkoll has potential and seems unlimited. We only use the contract part today but it is possible to do more, says Jonas Olsson, processor and Metria Markkoll manager at Härjeåns.
- Metria Markkoll seems to be a well-thought-out and solid super tool! If something goes wrong, we contact Metria, which provides fast and good support so that it is solved.
There are currently 15 users at Härjeåns who work with Metria Markkoll, but more could use the system as, for example, project managers to see ongoing projects.
- "Markkoll means that we can now make land agreements with maps automatically, and the system retrieves landowners itself. We save a lot of time on map management. Before, we drew and picked out landowners manually and then generated agreements.
Challenging time for electricity network companies with increased electricity demand
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It is a challenging time for electricity network companies as more and more energy is needed in society while there are new requirements and requests from Swedish authorities, the EU and customers. For example, there are more power-demanding customers today who need electricity for both housing and charging their electric cars. The mountain world also requires more capacity given increased tourism and the expansion of lifts and ski slopes. |
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The transition to a fossil-free and increasingly electrified society places greater demands on electricity network companies. When older overhead lines are buried, new agreements are required and even reconstruction involves demanding processes. Today, the law also stipulates that "registration must be submitted in paper form" (Chapter 19, Section 10 of the Land Code), something that the industry is pushing for to switch to electronic signing and digital agreements.
Facts about Metria Markkoll
Metria Markkoll is an innovative service that aims to streamline and quality assure the process of network construction - from idea, analysis and investigation, through consultation, to preparation, land access and management.