Helsinki Olympic Stadium

The monumental Olympic Stadium of Helsinki was renovated and got a major improvement between the years 2016 and 2020. A modern sports and entertainment arena needs to have a working electrical system at all times. A part of the electrical improvement included an acquisition of a standby generator. The standby generator was delivered to the Olympic Stadium by kW-set.

Ilkka Rautakivi, the property and safety manager, says that “Before the renovation, they had only been using the national energy grid at the Stadium, so the planning started from scratch. Now the electricity is secured from two directions, the national grid and on top of that a massive 1250 kWA standby generator, which was installed by kW-set.” 

These days, both UEFA and FIFA recommend that all event venues should have a standby generator. If something happens with the electrical power network, the emergency power source gives one the security that all the critical systems can be used under all circumstances. The alternative power source makes preparing for normal events much easier and less arduous.

The emergency power source project for the Olympic Stadium was a collaboration between four parties: a planner, Assemblin Oy, kW-set and the Olympic Stadium Foundation. Assemblin took care of the competitive tendering and the contract work whereas kW-set was giving expertise and managed the installation of the generator.

Assemblin is a company that works with building services engineering, that was in charge of the electrical contract work for the Olympic Stadium.

The user and the planner had already in the beginning defined what was needed and where the standby generator was supposed to be installed. That’s why they decided to take in the expertise from kW-set, who then delivered the product as turnkey.

“In advance, before the acquisition was made, I was really scared of the fact that a device bigger than a delivery van was supposed to fit into the basement of the Stadium! On top of that, I was worrying about how we would get the whole facility to work. The whole facility needed a lot of different systems and commands. In the blink of an eye kW-set solved all of our issues. The project started immediately, once the deal was made.” says Roope Mutenia, the project manager of electric contract work at Assemblin Oy.

“The installation went well, and the enormous machine fitted perfectly. The employees at kW-set really knew what they were doing!”

The stadium has five main fuse boxes for the alternative power source. The standby generator serves all of the fuse boxes, which means that electricity can be supplied regionally inside the Stadium. Furthermore, if the electricity supplier’s electrical power system crashes, the standby generator turns on.

“It looked quite bad when the generator was dragged into the basement. The boys from kW-set measured the whole route before the floor was built, but even with the measures made, it really looked like it wouldn’t fit. Nevertheless, the installation went well, and the enormous machine fitted perfectly. The employees at kW-set really knew what they were doing!” says Roope Mutenia from Assemblin.

Ilkka Rautakivi continues, “A massive standby generator is indeed startling. It was a pleasant surprise that the diesel tanks were bigger than expected. Also, the muffler is so efficient that you can only notice that it’s on from the smoke.”.

“The process was way easier than thought. KW-set took care of the project independently and we didn’t have to get involved at all. In a huge project like this, that had dozens of subcontractors, one of the vital conditions was that the whole generator project needed to be a turnkey project. I would recommend kW-set for demanding projects. The collaboration, the scheduling, and the implementation all worked perfectly. “ says Roope Mutenia happily.