Hard coal consumption falls by 34% in Jan-Sep

The consumption of hard coal decreased by 34 per cent in January to September this year compared with that in the corresponding period of last year, according to the Statistics Finland.

The consumption of hard coal as a fuel in generation of electricity and heat amounted to 1.1 million tonnes, corresponding to 29 petajoule in energy content.

In January to September, 62 per cent less hard coal was consumed than on average during this millennium.

In the third quarter, 35 per cent less hard coal was consumed than that in the corresponding period of the year before. The decrease continued on the same level as in the first two quarters of the year.

Energy consumption in Finland typically fluctuates seasonally.

Some of the fluctuations in the consumption of hard coal are also explained by the natural variation in the need for electricity and heat between summer and winter.

The decrease in the consumption of coal is affected by the ban on the use of coal for energy, which will enter into force in 2029. The use of fossil fuels has been replaced by renewable energy.

At the end of September, the stocks of coal amounted to 2.0 million tonnes, which represented a growth of eight per cent relative to the stocks at the end of June. Compared with one year back, the stocks were 11 per cent lower.

In 2019, a total of 2.383 million tonnes of hard coal were consumed.