Hard coal consumption rises by 12% in H1

The consumption of hard coal increased by 12 per cent in this year's January to June compared to the corresponding period of last year, according to Statistics Finland.

The consumption of hard coal as a fuel in the generation of electricity and heat and in manufacturing amounted to 1,039 thousand tonnes, corresponding to 26 petajoules in energy content.

Despite the growth, the trend of coal consumption has long been declining and the number of plants using hard coal has continued to fall.

In January to June, 52 per cent less hard coal was consumed than on average during this millennium.

The consumption of hard coal grew most in April and May, by 33 and 39 per cent.

The stocks of hard coal amounted to 820 thousand tonnes at the end of June 2022, which was 49 per cent less than one year earlier.

The consumption of hard coal increased in the first half of 2022 in electricity and heat production as main activity.