Hard coal consumption drops by 28% in Jan-Sep

The consumption of hard coal went down by 28 per cent in January to September 2023 compared to the consumption in the stipulated period of the previous 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 913 thousand tonnes, corresponding to 23.7 petajoules in energy content.

In January to September, 67 per cent less hard coal was consumed than on average in the 2000s.

In January to September 2023, a total of 913 thousand tonnes of hard coal was consumed as a fuel in the generation of electricity and heat and in manufacturing, which was 28 per cent less than one year earlier.

The consumption of hard coal decreased in all quarters of 2023 compared to the previous year.

The consumption of hard coal went down most in the third quarter of 2023, by 48 per cent compared to the previous year.

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

The stocks of hard coal amounted to 1,288 thousand tonnes at the end of September, which was one per cent less than one year earlier.