“For Ilmatar having an own trading team was an objective from the very beginning of the IPP process, because in the renewable energy portfolio, flexibility and added value are sought through continuous optimization”, says Rami Rajala, Director, Power Generation and Trading.
Celebrating its first anniversary in August, Ilmatar’s own control center enables continuous optimization of our growing renewable energy portfolio in the electricity markets and rapid response to grid balancing needs.
“Thanks to our own control center, we have been able to split our trading operations into the Day-Ahead team, which focuses on the next-day markets, and the Intraday team, which is responsible for real-time trading. The control center has significantly increased trading efficiency,” says Markus Räsänen, Head of Physical Trading.
In addition to launching the control center, our participation in the reserve markets since the end of March 2024 has provided a new opportunity for Ilmatar to influence. Just like after-market trading, our participation in the reserve markets operates year-round, around the clock, from our control center in Tampere, Finland.
“During the first year, we have learnt how critical it is to focus on our ever-expanding production portfolio and to maximize its benefits. We have managed to streamline our operations from the very first month without interruptions, and a large part of that success is due to our skilled team,” Räsänen continues.
Future focus on storage solutions
In the production portfolio consisting of renewable energy, energy storage solutions are crucial due to the variability of wind and solar power production. The first battery system is about to be implemented, which opens new opportunities for optimizing Ilmatar’s portfolio.
“The continuous portfolio optimization enabled by Ilmatar’s control center also supports the overall management of the electricity system”, Räsänen notes.
