Coal consumption rises by 8% in Jan-Sep

The consumption of hard coal increased by eight per cent in this year's January to September 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 1,277 thousand tonnes, corresponding to 33 petajoules in energy content.

In January to September, 55 per cent less hard coal was consumed than on average during this millennium.

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 the first quarter of 2022, the consumption of hard coal increased by seven per cent and in the second quarter by 26 per cent compared to the previous year.

By contrast, consumption fell by seven per cent in the third quarter.

The stocks of hard coal amounted to 1,020 thousand tonnes at the end of September 2022, which was 35 per cent less than one year earlier.