HELSINKI: The consumption of hard coal as a fuel in the generation of electricity and heat amounted to two million tonnes, corresponding to 50 petajoules in energy content. Examined in the longer term, the consumption of hard coal has, however, clearly decreased. Compared to the average for January to September in the 2000s, the consumption of hard coal was now 37 per cent lower, the data show.
In the third quarter, 39 per cent more hard coal was consumed than in the same period last year. The relative growth in the consumption of hard coal has this year been particularly big in the summer months. Last year, a record low amount of hard coal was consumed, due to which the relative growth has been fairly big this year.
Most of the hard coal consumed in Finland is used in combined heat and power production. The use of hard coal in separate production of electricity has clearly diminished in recent years because condensate power plants have been removed from use. Hard coal consumption in Finland typically fluctuates seasonally. Some of the fluctuation is explained by the natural variation in the need for electricity and heat between the summer and winter seasons. At the end of September 2016, stocks of hard coal totalled 2.6 million tonnes, or 28 per cent lower than one year earlier.
