Use of fossil fuels, renewable energy up in 2018

The total consumption of energy in Finland amounted to 1.38 million terajoules (TJ) in 2018, which corresponded to a growth of two percent compared with the previous year, according to Statistics Finland.

The consumption of electricity totalled 87.5 terawatt hours (TWh), which was two percent more than in the previous year. Consumption of fossil fuels and peat increased in total by three percent. The use of natural gas and peat increased most, both by 15 percent. The use of renewable energy also grew by two percent remaining at a record high level just like in previous years. The greenhouse gas emissions of the energy sector went up by two percent as a result of increased use of natural gas and peat.

The use of renewable energy increased by two percent in 2018 from the year before. Wood fuels remained the biggest energy sources in Finland and their share of total energy consumption was 27 percent. Consumption of wood fuels increased by three percent and the use of black liquor from the forest industry increased most, by eight percent, due to increased production of pulp. The use of wood fuels has never before been this high. Due to low water levels the production of hydro power fell by 10 percent, but this decrease was partly compensated by wind power, whose production rose by 22 percent. In relative terms, the production of solar energy increased most, by 63 percent, but its share in total energy consumption is still low, 0.3 per mil.

Nearly 37 percent of total energy consumption was covered with renewable energy sources and more 41 percent of final consumption in 2018. As late as 1990, the share of renewable energy in total consumption was just 18 percent. Since then it has grown steadily, the growth getting faster in the 2010s.

EU targets for renewable energy are calculated relative to total final energy consumption. Calculated in this manner, the share of renewable energy was 41 percent in Finland in 2018 based on Statistics Finland's data. Finland has exceeded its target for the share of renewable energy, 38 percent of final energy consumption, since 2014. The share of renewable energy in final energy consumption has been the second highest among EU countries.

The share of fossil fuels and peat in total energy consumption remained at last year’s level, 40 percent in total, even though their consumption increased by three percent. The use of natural gas and peat increased most, both by 15 percent. The consumption of natural gas made an upturn after several years of decline. More natural gas was used in the production of electricity and heat than in 2017. The use of energy peat was higher in 2018 than in several earlier years.

The growth in peat use was affected by the exceptional weather conditions during the heating season at the start of the year and the resulting growth in demand. The increase in the use of natural gas and energy peat was also boosted by the higher wholesale price of electricity. The consumption of oil, in turn, fell by one percent. The consumption of coal remained at the level of 2017, but the consumption of hard coal decreased by four percent. Apart from hard coal, coal consumption also includes coke, blast furnace and coke oven gases used in manufacturing. The greenhouse gas emissions of the energy sector went up by two percent as a result of increased use of fossil fuels and peat.