Energy In Finland
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

Energy in Finland describes
energy In physics, energy (from Ancient Greek: ἐνέργεια, ''enérgeia'', “activity”) is the quantitative property that is transferred to a body or to a physical system, recognizable in the performance of work and in the form of heat a ...
and
electricity Electricity is the set of physical phenomena associated with the presence and motion of matter that has a property of electric charge. Electricity is related to magnetism, both being part of the phenomenon of electromagnetism, as described ...
production, consumption and import in
Finland Finland ( fi, Suomi ; sv, Finland ), officially the Republic of Finland (; ), is a Nordic country in Northern Europe. It shares land borders with Sweden to the northwest, Norway to the north, and Russia to the east, with the Gulf of B ...
. Energy policy of Finland describes the
politics of Finland The politics of Finland take place within the framework of a parliamentary representative democracy. Finland is a republic whose head of state is President Sauli Niinistö, who leads the nation's foreign policy and is the supreme commander of ...
related to energy.
Electricity sector in Finland The electricity sector in Finland relies on nuclear power, forest industry black liquor and wood consumption, cogeneration and electricity import from neighboring countries. In 2008 the consumption of electricity in Finland was 17 036 kWh/per ...
is the main article of electricity in Finland.
Finland Finland ( fi, Suomi ; sv, Finland ), officially the Republic of Finland (; ), is a Nordic country in Northern Europe. It shares land borders with Sweden to the northwest, Norway to the north, and Russia to the east, with the Gulf of B ...
lacks domestic sources of fossil energy and must import substantial amounts of petroleum, natural gas, and other energy resources, including
uranium Uranium is a chemical element with the symbol U and atomic number 92. It is a silvery-grey metal in the actinide series of the periodic table. A uranium atom has 92 protons and 92 electrons, of which 6 are valence electrons. Uranium is weak ...
for
nuclear power Nuclear power is the use of nuclear reactions to produce electricity. Nuclear power can be obtained from nuclear fission, nuclear decay and nuclear fusion reactions. Presently, the vast majority of electricity from nuclear power is produced b ...
.
Energy consumption Energy consumption is the amount of energy used. Biology In the body, energy consumption is part of energy homeostasis. It derived from food energy. Energy consumption in the body is a product of the basal metabolic rate and the physical activity ...
in Finland per capita is the highest in European Union. Reasons for this include industries with high energy consumption (half of energy is consumed by industry), high standards of living, cold climate (25% of consumption is used in heating) and long distances (16% of consumption is used in transport). Finland and
Estonia Estonia, formally the Republic of Estonia, is a country by the Baltic Sea in Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by the Gulf of Finland across from Finland, to the west by the sea across from Sweden, to the south by Latvia, a ...
are two of the last countries in the world still burning peat.


Overview

There was no sustainable decline in CO2 emission in Finland during 1990–2007. The energy use decline 2008–2009 is based on recession and at least some paper industry factories relocation abroad. The annual changes of CO2 emissions of Finland were in some years 7–20% during 1990–2007. Increase of emissions was 18% in 1996 and 20% in 2006. The peat energy use and CO2 emissions per capita had correlation in 1990–2007. The share of electricity generated from
renewable energy Renewable energy is energy that is collected from renewable resources that are naturally replenished on a human timescale. It includes sources such as sunlight, wind, the movement of water, and geothermal heat. Although most renewable energy ...
in Finland has been stable from 1998 to 2005: 11 to 12 percent plus yearly changing hydropower, together around 24 to 27 percent. The RE of total energy has been 24 percent (1998 to 2005). The forest industry
black liquor In industrial chemistry, black liquor is the by-product from the kraft process when digesting pulpwood into paper pulp removing lignin, hemicelluloses and other extractives from the wood to free the cellulose fibers. The equivalent material i ...
and forest industry
wood burning Pyrography or pyrogravure is the free handed art of decorating wood or other materials with burn marks resulting from the controlled application of a heated object such as a poker. It is also known as pokerwork or wood burning. The term means "w ...
were 57 percent (1990) and 67 percent (2005) of the RE of total energy.Energy statistics 2006, Finnish statistical center, Tilastokeskus, energiatilasto, Vuosikirja 2006. The rest is mainly water power. The most of available hydropower for energy is already in use.


Consumption

Final consumption of energy - i.e. after losses through transformation and transmission - was 1 102 petajoules, which equals 202 gigajoules per capita in 2013. Of this, 46% is consumed by industry, 16% in transportation and 25% in heating. Energy consumption per capita in Finland is the highest in EU. Reasons for this include energy-intensive industry, a high standard of living, a cold climate and long distances. Rise of energy consumption stopped in the 21st century, mainly due to changes of industry. There is now less heavy industry and the energy efficiency has improved. New energy consuming business is the data centres of international enterprises. Energy consumption increased 44 percent in electricity and 30 percent in the total energy use from 1990 to 2006. The increase in electricity consumption 15,000 GWh from 1995 to 2005 was more than the total
hydropower Hydropower (from el, ὕδωρ, "water"), also known as water power, is the use of falling or fast-running water to Electricity generation, produce electricity or to power machines. This is achieved by energy transformation, converting the Pot ...
capacity. The electricity consumption increased almost equally in all sectors (industry, homes, and services).


Industry

Among all industries, the heaviest users are paper and pulp industry, metal industry, oil refining and chemical industry. The forest industry uses 30 percent of all electricity in Finland (1990–2005). Its process wastes, wood residues and black liquor, gave 7000–8000 GWh RE electricity in 2005. In the year 2005 this and electricity consumption fell 10% compared to 2004 based on the long forest industry strike.


Heating

Energy consumption for heating has increased, as population and average size of homes has grown. As of 2019, 2.8 million Finns and half a million
Helsinki Helsinki ( or ; ; sv, Helsingfors, ) is the Capital city, capital, primate city, primate, and List of cities and towns in Finland, most populous city of Finland. Located on the shore of the Gulf of Finland, it is the seat of the region of U ...
residents rely on
district heating District heating (also known as heat networks or teleheating) is a system for distributing heat generated in a centralized location through a system of insulated pipes for residential and commercial heating requirements such as space heating a ...
for their homes. In 2017, 66% of the new homes were connected to
district heating District heating (also known as heat networks or teleheating) is a system for distributing heat generated in a centralized location through a system of insulated pipes for residential and commercial heating requirements such as space heating a ...
and usage kept expanding among old buildings as well. 80% of the energy use of households was spent on heating in 2008–2011. In 2017, traditional fossil fuels (coal,
peat Peat (), also known as turf (), is an accumulation of partially decayed vegetation or organic matter. It is unique to natural areas called peatlands, bogs, mires, moors, or muskegs. The peatland ecosystem covers and is the most efficien ...
and oil) provided most heat, with 39%; gas, 10%; wood and wood residues, 30%; bio and non-bio waste burning and other sources, 12%;
energy recovery Energy recovery includes any technique or method of minimizing the input of energy to an overall system by the exchange of energy from one sub-system of the overall system with another. The energy can be in any form in either subsystem, but mos ...
, 9%: in total, the emissions were 149 g CO2/kWh.
Heat pumps A heat pump is a device that can heat a building (or part of a building) by transferring thermal energy from the outside using a refrigeration cycle. Many heat pumps can also operate in the opposite direction, cooling the building by removing h ...
are used to facilitate electrification and energy recovery. In Mäntsälä 80% of the energy is provided by excess heat recovered from the local
Yandex Yandex LLC (russian: link=no, Яндекс, p=ˈjandəks) is a Russian multinational technology company providing Internet-related products and services, including an Internet search engine, information services, e-commerce, transportation, maps ...
data centre. In Helsinki,
Helen Oy Helen Oy, stylized as HELEN, formerly known as Helsingin Energia (Finnish) and ''Helsingfors Energi'' (Swedish), is one of the largest energy companies in Finland. The company, founded in 1909 produces and sells electricity, district heating and ...
increases
energy efficiency Energy efficiency may refer to: * Energy efficiency (physics), the ratio between the useful output and input of an energy conversion process ** Electrical efficiency, useful power output per electrical power consumed ** Mechanical efficiency, a ra ...
with several heat pumps which recover heat from return water of the
district cooling District cooling is the cooling equivalent of district heating. Working on broadly similar principles to district heating, district cooling delivers chilled water to buildings like offices and factories needing cooling. In winter, the source for t ...
and from warm waste waters before they end up in the Baltic Sea: rock caverns and cisterns under parks are used in the
Katri Vala Katri Vala (1901–1944) was a Finnish poet, critic, school teacher, and central member of the literary group Tulenkantajat (The Fire Bearers) with Olavi Paavolainen, Elina Vaara, Lauri Viljanen, Ilmari Pimiä, Viljo Kajava, and Yrjö Jylhä. ...
heating and cooling plant under Sörnainen (123 MW in 2021), Vuosaari (13+9.5 MW with 20% sea water) and
Esplanadi Esplanadi ( sv, Esplanaden), colloquially known as Espa, is an esplanade and urban park in downtown Helsinki, Finland, situated between the Erottaja square and the Market Square. It is bordered on its northern and southern sides by the Pohjoisesp ...
. The coal-powered
Hanasaari Power Plant Hanasaari Power Plant (also referred as Hanasaari B power plant to distinguish from the dismantled power plant located at the same site) is a coal-fired cogeneration power plant in Sörnäinen, Helsinki, Finland. Its chimney has a height of . Hist ...
will be replaced by 2024 to reduce Helen carbon emissions by 40%. In addition to heat pumps, 25% of its former output is expected to come from a biomass plant in
Vuosaari Vuosaari ( sv, Nordsjö) is a neighbourhood in the City of Helsinki, Finland. It is located by the sea in East Helsinki and with its area of is geographically the largest district in the city. It also has two Helsinki Metro stations, Rastila a ...
next to the existing heat pumps, while heat storage to stabilise demand will be provided by water cisterns in place of the former oil cisterns under the
Mustikkamaa Mustikkamaa (; sv, Blåbärslandet; literally translates to "blueberry land") is an island in the Gulf of Finland, some to the east of the city centre of Helsinki, and in size. Leisure use It is owned by the City of Helsinki, and used for ...
island. In detail,
Helen Oy Helen Oy, stylized as HELEN, formerly known as Helsingin Energia (Finnish) and ''Helsingfors Energi'' (Swedish), is one of the largest energy companies in Finland. The company, founded in 1909 produces and sells electricity, district heating and ...
estimates a 11.6 GWh capacity and 120 MW thermal output for its 260,000 m³ water cistern under
Mustikkamaa Mustikkamaa (; sv, Blåbärslandet; literally translates to "blueberry land") is an island in the Gulf of Finland, some to the east of the city centre of Helsinki, and in size. Leisure use It is owned by the City of Helsinki, and used for ...
(fully charged or discharged in 4 days at capacity), operating from 2021 to offset days of peak production/demand; while the 300,000 m³ rock caverns 50 m under sea level in Kruunuvuorenranta (near
Laajasalo Laajasalo ( sv, Degerö) is a group of islands that forms a East Helsinki, Southeast Helsinki's Subdivisions of Helsinki#Neighbourhoods, neighbourhood in southern Helsinki, the capital of Finland. As of 2018, it had a population of 18 876. File: ...
) were designated in 2018 to store heat in summer from warm sea water and release it in winter for
district heating District heating (also known as heat networks or teleheating) is a system for distributing heat generated in a centralized location through a system of insulated pipes for residential and commercial heating requirements such as space heating a ...
. In
Espoo Espoo (, ; sv, Esbo) is a city and municipality in the region of Uusimaa in the Republic of Finland. It is located on the northern shore of the Gulf of Finland, bordering the cities of Helsinki, Vantaa, Kirkkonummi, Vihti and Nurmijärvi ...
, St1 and
Fortum Fortum Oyj is a Finnish state-owned energy company located in Espoo, Finland. In addition to Finland, it focuses on Germany and other countries in Central Europe, Great Britain, Russia and the Nordic region. Fortum operates power plants, inc ...
are testing a geothermal plant. In 2018, water was pumped in the
bedrock In geology, bedrock is solid Rock (geology), rock that lies under loose material (regolith) within the crust (geology), crust of Earth or another terrestrial planet. Definition Bedrock is the solid rock that underlies looser surface mater ...
under
Otaniemi Otaniemi (Finnish), or Otnäs (Swedish), is a district of Espoo, Finland. It is located near the border of Helsinki, the capital of Finland. Otaniemi is located on the southern shore of the Laajalahti bay, next to the district of Tapiola near th ...
through a bore over 6 km deep made with a
down-the-hole drill A down-the-hole drill, usually called DTH by most professionals, is basically a jackhammer screwed on the bottom of a drill string. The fast hammer action breaks hard rock into small cuttings and dust that are evacuated by a fluid (air, water or ...
to reach the warmer
earth crust Earth's crust is Earth's thin outer shell of rock, referring to less than 1% of Earth's radius and volume. It is the top component of the lithosphere, a division of Earth's layers that includes the crust and the upper part of the mantle. The ...
, in a process which was allowed to produce micro-hearthquakes up to magnitude 1.9. Once an appropriate position is found to drill an exit bore towards which the water would flow underground, the plant could produce 40 MW of thermal power.


Transport

Transport uses 30% of all energy, but 40% of the energy is produced with oil. Consumption per kilometre has decreased, but the number of kilometres has grown. The Kyoto agreement had obligation to restrict the traffic emissions in Finland between 2008 and 2012 in the year 1990 level. According to Ministry report in 2004 the share of public transport in Finland is lower that in most European countries.


Export and import

In 2014, the energy products import was worth 10 billion euros. In January to September 2016 the import of energy products was worth of 5 billion euros, 15% less than the year before. The biggest source was Russia, 64% of all imports. Export was worth of 2.8 billion euros, one percent more than the previous year. 78% of export went to OECD countries. Decrease of price of petroleum products has affected the decrease of value of imported energy.


Electricity

In Finland electricity consumption was 87.4 TWh in 2018 and 60 TWh in 1990. This is 45% rise in 1990-2018. Net imports of electricity was 23% of supply in 2018. Solar and wind power was produced in total 5.9 TWh in 2018. One of the major
electrical grid An electrical grid is an interconnected network for electricity delivery from producers to consumers. Electrical grids vary in size and can cover whole countries or continents. It consists of:Kaplan, S. M. (2009). Smart Grid. Electrical Power ...
distribution network operator A distribution network operator (DNO), also known as a distribution system operator (DSO), is the operator of the electric power distribution system which delivers electricity to most end users. Each country may have many local distribution networ ...
s,
Caruna Caruna distributes electricity and maintains, repairs and builds a weatherproof electricity network for its 690,000 customers in South, Southwest and West Finland, as well as in the city of Joensuu, the sub-region of Koillismaa and Satakunta. Car ...
in the south of Finland is majority-owned (80%) by
Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...
n and
Dutch Dutch commonly refers to: * Something of, from, or related to the Netherlands * Dutch people () * Dutch language () Dutch may also refer to: Places * Dutch, West Virginia, a community in the United States * Pennsylvania Dutch Country People E ...
holding and property companies. In 2009 the consumption of energy sources in electricity generation by mode of production was: 28% nuclear power, 16% hydro power, 13% coal, 11% natural gas, 5% peat and 10% wood fuels and other renewables. Net imports of electricity in 2009 were 15%. In 2011, 16% of electricity consumption was derived from imported electricity. The
European Commission The European Commission (EC) is the executive of the European Union (EU). It operates as a cabinet government, with 27 members of the Commission (informally known as "Commissioners") headed by a President. It includes an administrative body o ...
(EC) demanded that Finland pay a €32,000-day penalty from the
Court of Justice of the European Union The Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) (french: Cour de justice de l'Union européenne or "''CJUE''"; Latin: Curia) is the Judiciary, judicial branch of the European Union (EU). Seated in the Kirchberg, Luxembourg, Kirchberg quart ...
in March 2013 for not implementing the Electricity Directive in time. The share of electricity generation from renewables in Finland was 40% 2012 and target 33% by 2020. In comparison, unlike Finland most countries have target to increase the share of electricity generation from renewables from 2012 to 2020 in Europe as: * Finland 40% 33% * Denmark 48% 50% * Belgium 14% 20.9% * Netherlands 12% 37% * France 16% 27% * Ireland 20% 42.5% * Germany 25% 40–45% by 2025 * UK 12% 50% by 2015 * Scotland 100% by 2020 * Sweden 58% 62.9%


Energy sources

During first half of 2015 the most important sources were wood (26% of total consumption), oil (23%), nuclear (18%), coal (9%), gas (7%), hydropower (5%) and peat (5%). Wind power covered one per cent of consumption, other sources in total four per cent. Finland has no native sources of fossil fuels.


Wood

About one quarter of energy production in Finland comes from burning wood. There are no forests grown for fuel. Instead, most firewood is byproduct of other uses of wood. The
black liquor In industrial chemistry, black liquor is the by-product from the kraft process when digesting pulpwood into paper pulp removing lignin, hemicelluloses and other extractives from the wood to free the cellulose fibers. The equivalent material i ...
(by-product of pulp production) and peel and branches (by-product of sawmill industry) are used by the forest industry itself in creating its own energy by
wood burning Pyrography or pyrogravure is the free handed art of decorating wood or other materials with burn marks resulting from the controlled application of a heated object such as a poker. It is also known as pokerwork or wood burning. The term means "w ...
. The
Finnish Association for Nature Conservation The Finnish Association for Nature Conservation (FANC) (in Finnish: ''Suomen luonnonsuojeluliitto (SLL'') is the largest non-governmental organization for environmental protection and nature conservation in Finland with over 34,000 members. It w ...
(FANC) demands Finland not to burn stumps and sturdy wood that are 15% of wood chips burned according to government energy policy.


Petroleum

Finland does not have any petroleum resources of its own, so it relies 100% on petroleum imports. In 2007 oil imports were almost 11 million tonnes in Finland. In 2006, Finnish oil imports came from Russia (64 percent),
Norway Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic country in Northern Europe, the mainland territory of which comprises the western and northernmost portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula. The remote Arctic island of Jan Mayen and t ...
(11 percent),
Denmark ) , song = ( en, "King Christian stood by the lofty mast") , song_type = National and royal anthem , image_map = EU-Denmark.svg , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Danish Realm, Kingdom of Denmark ...
(11 percent), and the rest from United Kingdom,
Kazakhstan Kazakhstan, officially the Republic of Kazakhstan, is a transcontinental country located mainly in Central Asia and partly in Eastern Europe. It borders Russia to the north and west, China to the east, Kyrgyzstan to the southeast, Uzbeki ...
, and
Algeria ) , image_map = Algeria (centered orthographic projection).svg , map_caption = , image_map2 = , capital = Algiers , coordinates = , largest_city = capital , relig ...
. Petroleum comprises 24 percent of the Finnish energy consumption. Most of the petroleum is used in vehicles, but about 260,000 homes are heated by heating oil.
Neste Oil Neste Oyj (international name: Neste Corporation; former names Neste Oil Corporation and Fortum Oil and Gas Oy) is an oil refining and marketing company located in Espoo, Finland. It produces, refines and markets oil products, provides eng ...
is the sole
oil refiner An oil refinery or petroleum refinery is an industrial process plant where petroleum (crude oil) is transformed and refined into useful products such as gasoline (petrol), diesel fuel, asphalt base, fuel oils, heating oil, kerosene, liquefie ...
in Finland, exporting petroleum products such as gasoline and
fuel oil Fuel oil is any of various fractions obtained from the distillation of petroleum (crude oil). Such oils include distillates (the lighter fractions) and residues (the heavier fractions). Fuel oils include heavy fuel oil, marine fuel oil (MFO), bun ...
to the
Baltic countries The Baltic states, et, Balti riigid or the Baltic countries is a geopolitical term, which currently is used to group three countries: Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania. All three countries are members of NATO, the European Union, the Eurozone, ...
and North America. Oil imports were valued at 6.5 billion euros and exports 3 billion euros in 2006.


Nuclear power

As of 2008, Finland had four nuclear reactors in two power plants. The first of these came into operation in 1977. In 2000–2014, the four units produced 21.4–22.7 TWh electricity per year, 27–35% of energy production and 24–28% of energy consumption in Finland. They are among the world's most efficient, with average capacity factors of 94% in the 1990s. An additional reactor has been under construction since 2005 at
Olkiluoto Nuclear Power Plant The Olkiluoto Nuclear Power Plant ( fi, Olkiluodon ydinvoimalaitos, sv, Olkiluoto kärnkraftverk) is one of Finland's two nuclear power plants, the other being the two-unit VVER Loviisa Nuclear Power Plant. The plant is owned and operated by ...
. As of August 2020, the unit was expected to start up in 2022. Another nuclear power station is under development by the
Fennovoima Fennovoima Ltd ( fi, Fennovoima Oy) is a nuclear power company established by Russian state's nuclear company Rosatom and a consortium of Finnish state-owned power and industrial companies. The company does not own any nuclear capacities; however ...
consortium. The Russian nuclear engineering company
Rosatom Rosatom, ( rus, Росатом, p=rɐsˈatəm}) also known as Rosatom State Nuclear Energy Corporation, the State Atomic Energy Corporation Rosatom or Rosatom State Corporation, is a Russian state corporation headquartered in Moscow that speciali ...
owns 34% of the project. Various Finnish corporations and local governments are also major owners. If all planned projects are completed, the share of electricity produced by nuclear power could double by 2025, reaching around 60%.


Coal

Coal is imported from Russia and
Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It is divided into 16 administrative provinces called voivodeships, covering an area of . Poland has a population of over 38 million and is the fifth-most populous ...
. 5.6 million tonnes were used in 2007. According to Finnwatch (27 September 2010) there are 13 coal power plants in Finland. The companies
Pohjolan Voima Pohjolan Voima Oy (PVO; English: Northern Power Company Ltd.) is the second biggest Finnish energy company, which owns hydropower and thermal power plants (including biofuel-fired power plants). Shareholders Pohjolan Voima is a founder and main sh ...
,
Fortum Fortum Oyj is a Finnish state-owned energy company located in Espoo, Finland. In addition to Finland, it focuses on Germany and other countries in Central Europe, Great Britain, Russia and the Nordic region. Fortum operates power plants, inc ...
,
Helsingin Energia Helen Oy, stylized as HELEN, formerly known as Helsingin Energia (Finnish) and ''Helsingfors Energi'' (Swedish), is one of the largest energy companies in Finland. The company, founded in 1909 produces and sells electricity, district heating and ...
and
Rautaruukki Rautaruukki Oyj using the marketing name Ruukki is a Finnish company, headquartered in Helsinki, which manufactures and supplies metal-based components and systems to the construction and engineering industries. In 2014 Swedish SSAB bought Ruukki. ...
consume coal most. According to the statistics of the Customs 18.3 million tonnes of coal was imported in Finland between 2007 and 2009 from: 72.5% Russia; 7.3% USA; 6.6% Canada; 5.9% Australia; 3.0%
Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It is divided into 16 administrative provinces called voivodeships, covering an area of . Poland has a population of over 38 million and is the fifth-most populous ...
, 1.4% South Africa; 1.3%
Colombia Colombia (, ; ), officially the Republic of Colombia, is a country in South America with insular regions in North America—near Nicaragua's Caribbean coast—as well as in the Pacific Ocean. The Colombian mainland is bordered by the Car ...
and 1.1%
Indonesia Indonesia, officially the Republic of Indonesia, is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania between the Indian and Pacific oceans. It consists of over 17,000 islands, including Sumatra, Java, Sulawesi, and parts of Borneo and New Guine ...
. The majority of Finnish coal is mined in the
Kuznetsk Basin The Kuznetsk Basin (russian: Кузнецкий угольный бассейн, Кузбасс; often abbreviated as Kuzbass or Kuzbas) in southwestern Siberia, Russia, is one of the largest coal mining areas in Russia, covering an area of aroun ...
of the
Kemerovo Oblast Kemerovo Oblast — Kuzbass (russian: Ке́меровская о́бласть — Кузба́сс, translit=Kemerovskaya oblast — Kuzbass, ), also known simply as Kemerovo Oblast (russian: Ке́меровская о́бласть, label=non ...
, Russia.Kivihiilta_idasta_ja_etelasta.pdf Kivihiiltä idästä ja etelästä Vastuullisuus energiayhtiöiden ostoissa
FinnWatch 3/2010 (27 September 2010) pages 4–12, page 5 Table of coal imports in 2007–2009 (include www references)
The Finnish companies know the country of origin of coal. The specific mine of origin is not always known, especially for the coal blends. According to the Finnwatch inquiry in 2010 none of the Finnish companies have yet made a commitment to give up coal consumption. Based on new investments, companies reported the following reductions in their future coal use: Helsingin Energia −40% by 2020, Lahti Energia several tens of % by 2012 and Vantaan Energia −30% by 2014. The
ILO The International Labour Organization (ILO) is a United Nations agency whose mandate is to advance social and economic justice by setting international labour standards. Founded in October 1919 under the League of Nations, it is the first and ol ...
Agreement 176 (1995) addresses health and safety risks in mines. Finland ratified the agreement in 1997. However, as of 2017 the agreement was not ratified in the following countries that export coal to Finland: Canada, Australia,
Colombia Colombia (, ; ), officially the Republic of Colombia, is a country in South America with insular regions in North America—near Nicaragua's Caribbean coast—as well as in the Pacific Ocean. The Colombian mainland is bordered by the Car ...
,
Kazakhstan Kazakhstan, officially the Republic of Kazakhstan, is a transcontinental country located mainly in Central Asia and partly in Eastern Europe. It borders Russia to the north and west, China to the east, Kyrgyzstan to the southeast, Uzbeki ...
,
Indonesia Indonesia, officially the Republic of Indonesia, is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania between the Indian and Pacific oceans. It consists of over 17,000 islands, including Sumatra, Java, Sulawesi, and parts of Borneo and New Guine ...
and China. At least two companies in Finland reported (2010) using the UN Global Compact initiative criteria in their supplier relationships. No Finnish company reported signing the UN Global Compact Initiative.


Natural gas

In 2010 the share of gas in Total Primary Energy Supply (TPES) was about 10%. Finland was 100% dependent on a single supplier in gas, namely
Russia Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a List of transcontinental countries, transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia, Northern Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the ...
, and there is no gas storage capacity. However, in Finland, gas is essentially never used in direct heating of homes, which are heated by direct electric heating, oil or district heating. 75% of gas is used for production of electricity or
combined heat and power Cogeneration or combined heat and power (CHP) is the use of a heat engine or power station to generate electricity and useful heat at the same time. Cogeneration is a more efficient use of fuel or heat, because otherwise- wasted heat from elect ...
and in industry, with domestic use being rare. In total, 93% of the gas is sold to large installations directly rather than by retail. In Helsinki, however, there are 30,000 network-connected domestic gas users and 300 restaurants. There is an alternative fuel obligation, so that in the event of a gas supply disturbance, other fuels can be immediately substituted. The gas distribution network reaches only the southeastern coast, with the northernmost point at
Ikaalinen Ikaalinen (; sv, Ikalis) is a town and municipality of Finland. It is part of the Pirkanmaa region, located northwest of Tampere. The town has a population of () and covers an area of of which is water. The population density is . The munici ...
. The gas dependency in Finland was less than in average in OECD countries in 2010. 16 out of 28 IEA member countries are dependent on gas over 20% in TPES. Natural gas has been used in Finland since 1974 after the first oil crisis.
Gasum Gasum Oy is a Finnish state-owned energy company located in Espoo, Finland which imports and sells the nation's natural gas. Gasum owns 17 biogas refineries in Finland and Sweden, and is the largest processor of biodegradable waste in the ...
is the Finnish importer and seller of natural gas, which owns and operates Finnish natural gas transmission system. Natural gas vehicles aren't popular in Finland, but natural gas powered busses exist. On 21 May 2022, the supply of gas from Russia to Finland was cut off because Gasum refused to pay for the gas deliveries in rubles as required by the Russian gas company Gazprom and Moscow. The import of gas to Finland was then switched over to come through the
Balticconnector Balticconnector is a bi-directional natural gas pipeline between Ingå, Finland and Paldiski, Estonia. It connects Estonian and Finnish gas grids. The pipeline provides Finland with access to the Latvian natural gas storage facility at Inčukal ...
pipeline. The LNG terminal ship ''Exemplar'' was also leased for 10 years to cover Finland's gas needs in the event of any shortages. The ship's annual gas capacity is 35 terawatt-hours (TWh).


Peat

Peat Peat (), also known as turf (), is an accumulation of partially decayed vegetation or organic matter. It is unique to natural areas called peatlands, bogs, mires, moors, or muskegs. The peatland ecosystem covers and is the most efficien ...
and hard coal are the most harmful energy sources for
global warming In common usage, climate change describes global warming—the ongoing increase in global average temperature—and its effects on Earth's climate system. Climate change in a broader sense also includes previous long-term changes to E ...
in Finland. According to VTT studies, peat is often the most harmful one. Peat was the most popular energy source in Finland for new energy investments 2005–2015. The new energy plants in Finland starting 2005–2015 have as energy source: peat 36% and hard coal 11%: combined: 47%. The major
carbon dioxide Carbon dioxide (chemical formula ) is a chemical compound made up of molecules that each have one carbon atom covalently double bonded to two oxygen atoms. It is found in the gas state at room temperature. In the air, carbon dioxide is transpar ...
emitting peat plants during 2005–15 were expected to be ( kt): PVO 2700 kt, Jyväskylän Energia 561 kt, Etelä-Pohjanmaan Voima Oy (EPV Energia) 374 kt, Kuopion Energia 186 kt,
UPM Kymmene UPM-Kymmene Oyj is a Finnish forest industry company. UPM-Kymmene was formed by the merger of Kymmene Corporation with Repola Oy and its subsidiary United Paper Mills Ltd in 1996. UPM consists of six business areas: UPM Fibres, UPM Energy, UPM Ra ...
135 kt and Vapo 69 kt. EPV Energy is partner in
TVO TVO (stylized as tvo), formerly known as TVOntario, is a publicly funded English-language educational television network and media organization serving the Canadian province of Ontario. It operates flagship station CICA-DT (channel 19) in Toron ...
nuclear plants and Jyväskylän and Kuopion Energia partners in
Fennovoima Fennovoima Ltd ( fi, Fennovoima Oy) is a nuclear power company established by Russian state's nuclear company Rosatom and a consortium of Finnish state-owned power and industrial companies. The company does not own any nuclear capacities; however ...
nuclear plants in Finland. According to IEA country report the Finnish subsidies for peat undermine the goal to reduce CO2 emissions and counteracts other environmental policies and The European Union emissions trading scheme. IEA recommends to adhere to the timetable to phase out the peat subsidies in 2010. "To encourage sustained production of peat in the face of negative incentives from the European Union's emissions trading scheme for greenhouse gases, Finland has put in place a premium tariff scheme to subsidise peat. The premium tariff is designed to directly counter the effect of the European Union's emissions trading scheme".


Hydropower

Finland has more than 330 hydro power plants, with total production of 3100 megawatts.


Renewable energy

Energy companies have no renewable energy obligations in Finland. The share of renewable energy in per cent in Finland was 28% in 2012 and 25% in 2000. The share of renewable energy 5 years average 2006–2010 was 24.7 % and 10 years average 2001–2010 was 26.0 %. The EU set target for Finland (38%) by 2020 was reached in 2014, and in 2015 39.3% of consumed energy was renewable (or 35% based on national calculation: i.e. 454,6 PJ (renewable energy)/ 1306,3 PJ (total energy consumption)). The new target value for renewable energy set by Finland is 50% by 2030 (based on end consumption values). The share of renewable energy in Finland: *1990 18.2% *1995 21.3% *2000 24.6% *2005 24.8% *2010 27.1% *2015 39.3% (35%) The total renewable energy generating capacity has increased in Finland during the 2010s (in 2010: 5,170 MW; 2016: 7,067 MW). In 2016 the estimated renewable energy production was over 130 terawatt-hours in Finland. Renewable energy sources (Statistics Finland, 2015) *Hydropower, 13,5% *Small-scale wood combustion, 14% *Lumber industry black liquor, 31% *Wood fuel, 28,5% *Heat pumps, 4% *Biofuel, 5% *Other bioenergy, 4% The renewable energy objectives set by the
European Union The European Union (EU) is a supranational political and economic union of member states that are located primarily in Europe. The union has a total area of and an estimated total population of about 447million. The EU has often been des ...
are 22 percent renewable source electricity and 12 percent renewable of primary energy by 2010 under the
European Union directive A directive is a legal act of the European Union that requires member states to achieve a particular result without dictating the means of achieving that result. Directives first have to be enacted into national law by member states before thei ...
2003/30/EC (Directive on the Promotion of the use of biofuels and other renewable fuels for transport) and
white paper A white paper is a report or guide that informs readers concisely about a complex issue and presents the issuing body's philosophy on the matter. It is meant to help readers understand an issue, solve a problem, or make a decision. A white paper ...
. This includes the objectives of 40 GW wind power, 3 GW
photovoltaics Photovoltaics (PV) is the conversion of light into electricity using semiconducting materials that exhibit the photovoltaic effect, a phenomenon studied in physics, photochemistry, and electrochemistry. The photovoltaic effect is commercially us ...
and 5.75 percent biofuels by 2010.


Environmental effects


Climate change

In 2008, Finland's greenhouse gas emissions totalled 70.1 million tons of carbon dioxide (CO2e). A little over three-quarters of them were based on energy or released from the energy sector. The carbon dioxide emissions by fossil fuels in 2008 originated from 45% oil, 39% coal and 15% natural gas. In the year 2000 the shares were nearly equal: 48% oil and 37% coal. The fossil traffic fuels: motor petrol, diesel and aviation petrol are oil products. The biomass included 47% of black liquor and 52% of wood in 2008. These shares were practically same during 1990–2006. All biomass and agricultural warming gas emissions are free of charge in the EU emissions trading in 2008–2012. According to the official statistics the annual fossil fuel and coal emissions in Finland have large annual variation. E.g. the fossil fuel CO2 emissions dropped 18% in the year 2005 and 13% in 2008, but the annual coal emissions increased 22% in 1996, 22% in 2001 and 58% in 2006.


Particulates

Particulate, the size of which is from a few nanometers to visible dust particles, are considered the most important environmental factor affecting human life. About half of particulates are of anthropogenic origin: traffic, industry and energy production. In Finland, the most important source is burning wood as fuel. Also the NO2 and SO2 gases become particulates in the atmosphere.


Energy policy

The objective of RE (2005) of electricity was 35% (1997–2010). However, (2006) the Finnish objective was dropped to 31.5% (1997–2010). According to 'Renewables Global Status Report' Finland aims to increase RE only 2% in 13 years. This objective to add the RE use with 2% in 13 years is among the modest of all the EU countries. The public
energy subsidies Energy subsidies are measures that keep prices for customers below market levels, or for suppliers above market levels, or reduce costs for customers and suppliers. Energy subsidies may be direct cash transfers to suppliers, customers, or rel ...
in Finland in 2013 were €700 million for fossil energy and €60 million for renewable energy (mainly wood and wind). An increased
feed-in tariff A feed-in tariff (FIT, FiT, standard offer contract,Couture, T., Cory, K., Kreycik, C., Williams, E., (2010)Policymaker's Guide to Feed-in Tariff Policy Design National Renewable Energy Laboratory, U.S. Dept. of Energy advanced renewable tariff, ...
was used for new wind power industry in 2011 to 2015.Takuuhintajärjestelmä Suomessa
Tuulivoimayhdistys


References


External links


Finland’s National Energy Efficiency Action Plan
(NEEAP 2008–2010) 26 June 2007
Findicator - Energy consumption 1970-2012

Findicator - Final energy consumption by sector 1970-2012
{{DEFAULTSORT:Energy in Finland
Finland Finland ( fi, Suomi ; sv, Finland ), officially the Republic of Finland (; ), is a Nordic country in Northern Europe. It shares land borders with Sweden to the northwest, Norway to the north, and Russia to the east, with the Gulf of B ...