3
ELENIA VERKKO OYJ GROUP FINANCIAL
STATEMENT 2023
CONTENTS
Notes to the consolidated
As part of the 2022 network development plan, Elenia was
required for the first time to organise a public hearing for its cus-
tomers and stakeholders on the network development plan. One
of the findings of the hearing was that 85% of the customers
think that 12 hours is the maximum acceptable outage length,
which is significantly shorter than the 36-hour limit set in EMA
In 2023, 300 MW of new wind power capacity (254.8 MW in
2022) and 4,865 new small-scale solar panel installations (4,457
in 2022) were connected to Elenia's distribution grid. There is a
clear increase among our corporate customers in industrial elec-
trification solutions and interest in battery solutions. For the
consumer customers there is a clear increase in the solar panel
installations and electric vehicle charging, and the interest to-
wards real-time electricity consumption data, our online services
and Elenia Aina application. For corporate customers the inter-
est is driven by the green transition and the need to move away
from fossil-fuel based solutions (such as natural gas) and for con-
sumer customers the interest is driven additionally by the very
Elenia Verkko Oyj continued to develop its asset manage-
ment system according to the international standard ISO
55001:2014. The requirements ISO 55001 guide the construc-
tion, operation, maintenance and repairs of Elenia’s electricity
network. This ensures that the company will continue to operate,
maintain and upgrade its electricity network in order to respond
to its customers’ needs. The standards also require that suppliers
and service providers commit to responsible, high-quality opera-
tions. The asset management system of Elenia’s network busi-
ness was recertified in November 2022 by Lloyd’s Register and
first surveillance visit was in 2023.
The EA oversees the operations of Finnish distribution sys-
tem operators. The regulation is based on four-year regulatory
periods. The past year was the fourth year of the fifth regulatory
period (2020–2023) and second year with the regulatory meth-
ods that were suddenly amended mid-period for 2022–2023.
Elenia received a new regulatory decision on 29 December
2023 regarding the regulatory methods that are in force for two
consecutive regulatory periods: sixth regulatory period from 1
January 2024 until 31 December 2027 and seventh regulatory
period from 1 January 2028 until 31 December 2031.
There are numerous changes in the new regulatory methods
compared to the previously applied methods. The key changes to
the previous methods include freezing of the asset base to 2022
construction costs, calculation of industry wide unit prices and
calculation of WACC methodology. The changes compared to
the previous methods were significant and in Elenia’s view un-
necessary, sudden and unjustified.
In 2023 the reasonable rate of return increased from 3.97% in
2022 to 6.08% mainly due the sharp rise in the interest rates in
2022. For 2024, the EA has confirmed that the reasonable rate
of return is 7.37%. The WACC increased due to higher interest
rates in 2023 compared to 2022.
Financing
Elenia’s financing activities are centralised into Elenia Verkko
Oyj. In 2023, Elenia Verkko Oyj did not issue any new bonds (no
new bonds were issued in 2022). The Group’s solvency and li-
quidity remain very strong after the bond issue carried out in
2020 and due to the lower-than-expected capex in 2022 and
2023. At the end of the financial year, cash and cash equivalents
amounted to EUR 60 million (EUR 52 million at the end of 2022).
The Group’s credit facilities consist of a EUR 250 million
Capex Facility, a EUR 50 million Working Capital Facility and a
EUR 70 million Liquidity Facility that were renewed in 2023. The
first two mature in May 2028 and they both have two one-year
extension options. These facilities also for the first time have a
sustainability linkage. Elenia’s performance on LTIF, SAIDI and
CO2 emissions will in the future determine the margin that
Elenia pays on these facilities. The five-year Liquidity Facility ma-
tures in May 2028 and it is renewed annually. All the credit facili-
ties were entirely undrawn at year end (as was the case at the
end of 2022). During the year Elenia drew in its entirety the EUR
100 million European Investment Bank facility.
Elenia has two financial covenants in its financing agreements:
Interest Coverage Ratio (ICR) and Leverage Ratio (LR). For each
relevant period until 31 December 2027 (“the First Ratio Adjust-
ment period”), the trigger event ratio levels are 1.46x for ICR and
10.18x for LR and the default ratios are 0.96x for ICR and 11.33x
for LR. At the end of 2023, the ICR and LR were 4.56 and 8.68,
respectively. At end of 2022, the corresponding levels were 5.21
and 8.69. Elenia Group is in compliance with the financial cove-
nants.
Elenia retains adequate headroom to both financial cove-
nants on a historical and forward-looking basis.
Employees
Elenia Verkko Oyj number of employees increased moderately in
2023.
31 Dec 2023
FTE
31 Dec 2022
FTE
Elenia Verkko Oyj
77
73
The year-end, the total FTE of Elenia Verkko Oyj was 77 (73 in
2022). However, the total employment effect of the Group and
its external subcontractor’s operations related to Elenia is ap-
proximately 1,000 people.
In 2023, we continued the safety TUISKU project, which was
launched in 2022 to promote and improve the safety culture in
cooperation with our partners. At the end of the year, we
launched the Safety Academy, which aims to further strengthen
and deepen the safety behaviour and activities of our staff and
partners.
We continued to systematically develop staff skills and train-
ing as the ongoing energy transition changes the demands of the
job. At the end of the year, we launched the second Expert Acad-
emy training programme with Aalto University. The first Expert
Academy took place in 2022 and it was developed from the
Team Lead Academy organised in 2020 with for expert skill de-
velopment in mind. In addition, we have produced topical Elenia
Academy presentations for staff on topics such as equality, resili-
ence, recovery and cybersecurity. For several weeks in the au-
tumn, we focused on maintaining our own wellbeing and health
through a multidisciplinary programme. In our recruitment, we
are taking diversity into account, and in our collaboration with
educational institutions, we are emphasising the use of the latest
technology in our business. We offer internships and thesis op-
portunities to students throughout the year. We renovated our
premises to reflect the current hybrid working model with better
facilities for external meetings from the perspective of data se-
curity and privacy.
For more information on Elenia’s personnel, please see our
sustainability report at www.elenia.com.