Riihimäen Kaukolämpö Oy supplies district heating to approximately 20,000 residents of Riihimäki. Since 2021, Elcoline has been responsible for the company’s Operations and Maintenance (O&M) services, ensuring a reliable heat supply even during faults and disruptions.
Riihimäen Kaukolämpö provides heating for around 20,000 homes in Riihimäki. Elcoline ensures that thermal energy is available consistently throughout the year. The company also supports the customer with resource management during planned maintenance shutdowns and other peak operational periods. Photo: Elcoline
Elcoline is responsible for Riihimäen Kaukolämpö’s operations and maintenance services. In practice, this means that the operation of district heating plants, preventive maintenance, servicing work and the rapid repair of faults are carried out in a systematic and safe manner.
“Operations and maintenance are naturally extremely important to our day-to-day operations. If heat is not available, our end customers notice it very quickly,” says Antti Eskola, Managing Director of Riihimäen Kaukolämpö Oy.
Riihimäen Kaukolämpö has been an Elcoline customer since 2021, when responsibility for operations and maintenance was transferred to Elcoline as part of a business acquisition. Since then, the service agreement has been put out to tender twice, and on both occasions Elcoline has been selected as the partner of choice.
”We have always relied an external partner to manage our operation and maintenance. Having an external partner gives us flexibility in terms of resources. We do not need to size our own workforce according to major maintenance projects, as we can access additional resources whenever they are needed,” Eskola explains.
45 Years of Experience in District Heating Operations and Maintenance
A five-person Elcoline team works at the Riihimäen Kaukolämpö site, consisting of one supervisor and four district heating technicians. The team’s strength lies in its extensive experience in operations and maintenance within the energy production sector.
One of the technicians, Asko Kulmala, has worked at the Riihimäki district heating production facilities for more than 45 years.
“Although the logo on his work overalls has changed, his workplace has remained the same. It is fair to say that Asko knows Riihimäki’s district heating system like the back of his hand, bringing a tremendous amount of experience and expertise to our customer,” says Mikko Patjas, Regional Manger of Elcoline Power Oy.
The local operations and maintenance team enables Riihimäen Kaukolämpö to focus on its core business activities and manage its staffing resources efficiently. During major disruptions, maintenance projects or investment programmes, Elcoline can also provide additional resources whenever required.
”It is important to us that the quality of work and cooperation is in order. Thanks to weekly meetings and the maintenance system, everyone is aware of where we are going. It’s about commitment,” Eskola sums up.
The team has access to two vans and one electric vehicle. As the majority of maintenance and operational tasks are carried out in an urban environment, the electric vehicle provides an environmentally friendly and quiet mode of transport for daily work. Photo: Elcoline