How Montel Online helps risk managers stay in control of volatile power markets

Who are you and what does your business do?

My name is Antti Rautiainen, and I work as a Risk Manager at PKS. I’m responsible for managing electricity market trading operations across both physical and financial markets, as well as assessing market-related risks linked to power sales and power production.

PKS is a diversified Finnish energy group with several business units. We sell electricity to retail customers, operate power generation assets including hydro, nuclear and wind, run a large electricity distribution network and provide construction and maintenance services for power and communication networks.

I’ve been with PKS for six years. When I joined, Montel Online was already in use and firmly established as a core market tool across the company.

What challenges do you face in energy markets?

Power markets are highly dynamic, also on the financial side. Prices can change rapidly, and during volatile periods the scale of those movements can be extreme. As a risk manager, I need a clear, real-time overview of price developments across multiple products and markets to assess exposure and react quickly.

Another challenge is managing complexity. We follow Nordic and European power markets, financial derivatives, emission allowances and fuels. Without a clear and structured view, it becomes difficult to understand how different price signals interact and what they mean for risk and decision-making.

How does Montel Online support your daily work?

Montel Online is a very basic, and very essential tool for us. Several colleagues keep it open at all times during the trading day. It gives us immediate access to live prices for financial power products and other key commodities, all in one place.

The platform makes it easy to monitor price movements, compare products and analyse historical curves. I can quickly check how prices have evolved, identify trends and assess risk exposure without switching between multiple systems. The ability to tailor the view, for example, displaying Nordic system prices alongside EPADs on the same screen, is particularly valuable in daily risk monitoring.

Can you identify a time where Montel really helped you?

A clear example was during the energy crisis in 2022. Power prices were moving by tens of euros per megawatt-hour within a single day, something we had never experienced before. During that period, we closely monitored price movements in Montel Online to understand what was happening in the market and how our risk exposure was changing.

Having a clear, real-time overview of prices and curves was crucial. It helped us assess the situation quickly and supported decision-making at a time when markets were extremely unstable.

What makes Montel Online stand out from other tools?

For financial power markets, Montel Online stands out because of its clarity and usability. The user interface is very well designed: relevant information is visible immediately, and historical price developments are easy to analyse.

What surprises me is that many other tools do not offer this level of clarity, even though it seems essential. Montel also brings together power prices, emission allowances and fuel prices in one place, which makes it much easier to form a coherent market view.

What do you value most working with us?

Reliability and simplicity. Montel Online works exactly as expected, which means we rarely need support. When we do get in touch, for example, for new user access or administrative questions, responses are clear and efficient.

Overall, Montel Online gives us a dependable, easy-to-use way to follow financial power markets in the Nordics and across Europe. For risk management, that combination of clarity, speed and trust is essential.