Elvia, Norway’s largest distribution system operator, is partnering with Volue to transform how its planning teams design, document and manage grid development across its network, using Volue’s Grid Planner solution. 

A grid under pressure 

Responsible for the power grid across Oslo, Innlandet, Akershus and Østfold, Elvia’s network doesn’t stand still. Serving more than two million people across 50,000 km² of urban and rural terrain, its planning teams face a constant stream of new connection requests, electrification pressures and grid investment decisions.   

One platform, one workflow 

Elvia already relies on Volue’s NETBAS and GeoNIS solutions to plan and document its network, and the move to Grid Planner represents a deepening of that long-standing investment in Volue’s technology, extending the same trusted foundation into a modern, cloud-native planning environment.   

Volue Grid Planner will give Elvia’s teams further control of its grid planning process in a single digital workflow. Built natively on Esri’s ArcGIS Utility Network, the cloud-based platform connects scenario analysis, capacity planning and grid documentation in one place, replacing fragmented desktop tools with a collaborative, web-based environment accessible to planners, engineers, contractors and consultants alike. 

Web-based access means Elvia’s team can work from anywhere, without installing heavyweight desktop applications. Scenario analysis is faster and more transparent, connected directly to the live grid model, and day-to-day planning tasks no longer require deep GIS expertise, freeing Elvia to focus on the decisions that matter.  

Built for the modern grid 

Grid Planner was purpose-built for this changing environment. Key capabilities include integrated grid expansion assessment in a single workflow, geospatial intelligence built on Esri’s ArcGIS Utility Network, built-in short-circuit and capacity analysis grounded in the live grid model, and a cloud-native SaaS architecture delivering automatic updates and secure-by-design infrastructure. 

Daniela Haldy-Sellmann, General Manager Distribution & Asset Operations, Volue, said: 

“Elvia is exactly the kind of operator the grid transition depends on, and the challenges they face are shared by distribution operators right across Europe. What this partnership shows is that the way forward is not another desktop tool, but a connected, cloud-native environment where planners, engineers and partners all work from the same live picture of the network. That is what Grid Planner delivers.  

“We are proud to support Elvia as they modernise how one of Europe’s most complex grids is planned, and we see this as a model for how DSOs everywhere can deliver smarter grid operations under mounting pressure.” 

Knut Rikkard Bakken, Program Director at Elvia added:  

“At Elvia, we are seeing growing demand for grid capacity driven by electrification, urban growth, and an increasing number of new connection requests. To meet these challenges, we need planning tools that are faster, more collaborative, and fully aligned with our operational data. 

“Elvia is consolidating and centralising its grid data on the ArcGIS Utility Network. By extending our partnership with Volue and adopting Grid Planner as a cloud-based solution built on ArcGIS Utility Network, we are bringing planning, analysis, and documentation together in a single digital environment. This gives our teams and partners a stronger foundation for making informed decisions and developing the grid needed for the future, and the customers we serve.”