Finnish-made 10 MWh BESS sets speed record: Six months from start to operation

A 5 MVA/10 MWh BESS in Kuhmoinen, Finland, has begun commercial operations and changed ownership, marking a big milestone for domestic manufacturing in the Nordic energy storage sector.

The project, now called Rando Grid Oy, commenced operations on January 24, 2025, with Cactos Oy selling its full ownership stake to JTel Oy and Rando Ventures Oy, owned by Juha Hulkko and Tero Ojanperä respectively.

“While we source our battery cells from Asia, everything else is manufactured and developed here in Finland. The complete BESS, including battery module assembly, is manufactured at our facility in Kempele,” Matti Aschan, Head of Sales at Cactos, told ESS News. “Our control systems are developed domestically for high-level security. For power conversion, we use German-made Kaco inverters.”

The Cactos team were also highlighting the speed of implementation: the project progressed from an initial project start in June 2024 to commercial operation in just over six months. “I haven’t heard of anyone delivering a project of this size faster,” says Cactos CEO Oskari Jaakkola.

The system, which will consist of 24 Cactos units at full capacity, participates in both reserve and wholesale electricity markets. Cactos maintains involvement through a 10-year operations and maintenance contract, with its Cactos Spine platform handling automated trading and optimization.

“Smart electricity storage and distributed energy production are key factors in the transition towards a more flexible and efficient energy system,” says Tero Ojanperä of Rando Grid. “Artificial intelligence enables real-time optimization and better forecasting, which helps to utilize renewable energy more efficiently.”

The new owners plan to develop a digital twin of the system for simulation and rapid testing of new energy solutions. The project’s architecture and high degree of European content position it as a notable example of domestic capabilities in the growing Nordic storage market.