Paalupiste Oy

What we do

Paalupiste has designed, manufactured and installed screw pile foundations since 2001. In the energy sector we work on three things: foundations for power line masts, for battery storage and for substations. The piles are manufactured in EN 1090 certified production in Finland.

Power lines

For line contractors. We deliver the foundations for 110 kV power line masts turnkey. We size the piles for the mast loads and the ground on site, manufacture them, and install them with our own equipment and crews. If you have your own installation crew, we supply the piles, the design and installation support.

Speed. One crew completes the foundations for an average of three masts per working day, up to four at best and one to two in difficult conditions. We install the foundations, you raise the masts: the foundation carries load immediately, so erection can start the same day.

Schedule certainty. When the installation rate is known, the schedule for the whole line can be calculated from the number of masts. The work runs year round, winter included, so the schedule does not have to be built around the weather.

Cost efficiency. There are fewer work phases: no excavation, no hauling of spoil, and no heavy foundation elements to transport to site. Installation is done with one mid-sized excavator, so the foundation is feasible even where the access road will not carry heavy equipment. The cost benefit over a concrete foundation is significant. We price power line offers per mast, and the price covers the piles, transport, installation and fittings, so the cost is known already at tender stage. lp.paalupiste.com/voimalinjapylvaat-perustukset.html

Quality and documentation. We manufacture the piles ourselves, so the product and its quality stay in our hands. Every pile records its GPS position, depth, angle and installation torque, and the installation record is delivered to the client.

Environment. Installation leaves clearly fewer marks on the terrain than a concrete foundation, because no pit is dug and no heavy equipment has to be driven to site. The carbon footprint of a steel screw pile foundation is a fraction of that of a concrete one. At the end of the service life the piles are turned back out of the ground and the steel is recycled, and no concrete is left in the soil. Large concrete elements do not come out as easily.

For grid owners. Screw pile foundations suit both guyed and free-standing steel masts, with the piles sized for the mast loads. The piles are normally black steel, with the corrosion allowance in the wall thickness for a 50-year design life. References include Fingrid 110 kV power lines.

Battery storage and substations

A battery storage or substation foundation is built from screw piles, pile caps and a steel frame welded on top of them. Containers, transformers, inverters and other equipment are mounted on the frame. The foundation is built on natural ground, without excavation, soil exchange or concrete.

Compared with a cast-in-place concrete foundation the work is considerably faster and more cost-efficient, and the carbon footprint is a fraction. At the end of the service life the piles can be turned back out of the ground and recycled.

We size the piles for the equipment loads and the ground on site. We install the foundations ourselves, or we supply the piles, the installation criteria and, if needed, training to your civil works contractor. Battery storage projects have been delivered in Finland, including Loppi, Sodankylä and Ulvila, and in England, Denmark, Romania and Latvia. lp.paalupiste.com/paalupiste/bess

New: HelixHold

HelixHold is a passive counter-drone netting system that protects critical infrastructure such as substations, transformers, fuel tanks and data centres. It combines protective netting, a site-specific steel frame and screw pile foundations.

The screw piles are installed in advance, during normal operations, and the frame and the net go up when the threat level rises. The system needs no power and no signals, and it works as the final protective layer alongside active systems. Where the ground suits screw piles, the foundations need no excavation and no cast-in-place concrete. lp.paalupiste.com/HelixHold

How we get started

1. Input for quotation. For power lines: mast types and numbers, the loads on the legs and guy anchors, line maps, ground data and foundation recommendations. For battery storage and substations: ground investigation, site layout, equipment loads and dimensions, and the site location.
2. Design and offer. We size the piles and design the foundation for the loads and the ground on site.
3. Manufacturing and installation. Piles, anchors and fittings are typically ready two to four weeks from order. After installation the client receives the installation record.

If you do not have all of this yet, come and talk to us anyway.

Paalupiste · info@paalupiste.com · paalupiste.com