Energy in Finland
Encyclopedia
Finland
lacks domestic sources of fossil energy and must import substantial amounts of petroleum
, natural gas
, and other energy resources, including uranium
for nuclear power
.
There was no sustainable decline in CO2 emission in Finland during 1990-2007. The energy use decline 2008-2009 is based on recession and at least some paper industry factories relocation abroad. The annual changes of CO2 emissions of Finland were in some years 7-20 % during 1990-2007. Increase of emissions was 18 % in 1996 and 20 % in 2006. The peat energy
use and CO2 emissions per capita had correlation in 1990-2007.
and 30 percent in the total energy use from 1990 to 2006. The increase in electricity consumption 15,000 GWh from 1995 to 2005 was more than the total hydropower
capacity. The electricity consumption increased almost equally in all sectors (industry, homes, and services). The share of electricity generated from renewable energy
in Finland has been stable from 1998 to 2005: 11 to 12 percent plus yearly changing hydropower, together around 24 to 27 percent. The RE of total energy has been 24 percent (1998 to 2005). The forest industry black liquor
and forest industry wood burning
were 57 percent (1990) and 67 percent (2005) of the RE of total energy. The rest is mainly water power. The most of available hydropower for energy is already in use. The forest industry uses 30 percent of all electricity in Finland (1990–2005). Its process wastes, wood residues and black liquor, gave 7000-8000 GWh RE electricity in 2005. In the year 2005 this and electricity consumption fell 10 % compared to 2004 based on the long forest industry strike. Finland consumed (2005) 17.3 MWh electricity per capita compared to Germany 7.5 MWh per capita. This number includes the power losses of the distribution.
(64 percent), Norway
(11 percent), Denmark
(11 percent), and the rest from United Kingdom
, Kazakhstan
, and Algeria
. Petroleum comprises 24 percent of Finnish energy consumption. Most of petroleum is used in vehicle
s, but about 260,000 homes are heated by heating oil.
Neste Oil
is the sole oil refiner
in Finland, exporting petroleum products such as gasoline
and fuel oil
to Baltic countries
and North America
. Oil imports were valued at 6.5 billion euros and exports 3 billion euros in 2006.
Natural gas has been used since 1974 after the first oil crisis
. Gasum is the Finnish importer and seller of natural gas, which owns and operates Finnish natural gas transmission system. Natural gas vehicles aren't popular in Finland, but natural gas powered bus
ses exist.
. 5.6 million tonnes were used in 2007.
According to Finnwatch (27.9.2010) there are 13 coal power plants in Finland. The companies Pohjolan Voima
, Fortum
, Helsingin Energia
and Rautaruukki
consume coal most. According to the statistics of the Customs 18.3 million tonnes of coal was imported in Finland between 2007-2009 from: 72.5 % Russia
; 7.3 % USA; 6.6 % Canada
; 5.9 % Australia
; 3.0 % Poland
, 1.4 % South Africa
; 1.3 % Colombia
and 1.1 % Indonesia
. The majority of Finnish coal is mined in the Kuznetsk Basin
of the Kemerovo Oblast
, Russia.
The Finnish companies know the country of origin of coal. The specific mine of origin is not always known, specially for the coal blends. According to the Finnwatch inquiry in 2010 none of the Finnish companies have made yet a commitment to give up coal consumption. Based on new investments companies reported following reductions in their future coal use: Helsingin Energia -40 % by 2020, Lahti Energia several tens of % by 2012 and Vantaan Energia -30 % by 2014.
Coal mining is considered as the most dangerous work in the world. In China seven persons die in the coal mines daily. The ILO
agreement 176 (1995) address the health and safety risks in mines. Finland ratified the agreement in 1997. However, in 2010 the agreement was not ratified in the following countries that import coal in Finland: Russia
, Canada
, Australia
, Colombia
, Kazakstan, Indonesia
and China
. At least two companies in Finland reported (2010) to use the UN Global Compact initiative criteria in their supplier relationships. None Finnish company reported signing of the UN Global Compact Initiative. According to the DanWatch report ”The Curse of Coal” Danish DONG Energy
and Swedish Vattenfall
have underlined UN Global Compact initiative.
and hard coal are the most harmful energy sources for global warming
in Finland. According to VTT studies peat is often the most harmful one.
Peat is the most popular energy source in Finland for new energy investments 2005-2015. The new energy plants in Finland starting 2005-2015 have as energy source: peat 36 % and hard coal 11 %: combined: 47 %. The major carbon dioxide
emitting peat plants during 2005-15 are/will be (CO2 kt): PVO
2700 kt, Jyväskylän Energia 561 kt, Etelä-Pohjanmaan Voima Oy (EPV Energia) 374 kt, Kuopion Energia 186 kt, UPM Kymmene 135 kt and Vapo 69 kt. EPV Energy is partner in TVO
nuclear plants and Jyväskylän and Kuopion Energia partners in Fennovoima
nuclear plants in Finland.
According to IEA country report the Finnish subsidies for peat undermine the goal to reduce CO2 emissions and counteracts other environmental policies and The European Union emissions trading scheme. IEA recommends to adhere to the timetable to phase out the peat subsidies in 2010. “To encourage sustained production of peat in the face of negative incentives from the European Union’s emissions trading scheme for greenhouse gases, Finland has put in place a premium tariff scheme to subsidise peat. The premium tariff is designed to directly counter the effect of the European Union’s emissions trading scheme.”
's nuclear power
program has four nuclear reactor
s in two power plants
. The first of these came into operation in 1977. In 2007 they provided 28.4% of Finland's electricity. They are among the world's most efficient, with average capacity factors of 94% in the 1990s. A fifth nuclear reactor is under construction, scheduled to go online in 2012.
The renewable energy objectives
set by the European Union
are 22 percent renewable source electricity and 12 percent renewable of primary energy by 2010 under the European Union directive 2003/30/EC
(Directive on the Promotion of the use of biofuels and other renewable fuels for transport) and white paper
. This includes the objectives of 40 GW wind power, 3 GW photovoltaics
and 5.75 percent biofuels by 2010.
The carbon dioxide emissions by fossil fuels in 2008 originated from 45 % oil, 39 % coal and 15 % natural gas. In the year 2000 the shares were nearly equal: 48 % oil and 37 % coal. The fossil traffic fuels: motor petrol, diesel and aviation petrol are oil products. The biomass included 47 % of black liquer and 52 % of wood in 2008. These shares were practically same during 1990-2006. All biomass and agricultural warming gas emissions are free of charge in the EU emissions trading in 2008-2012. According to the official statistics the annual fossil fuel and coal emissions in Finland have large annual variation. E.g. the fossil fuel CO2 emissions dropped 18 % in the year 2005 and 13 % in 2008, but the annual coal emissions increased 22 % in 1996, 22 % in 2001 and 58 % in 2006.
According to the energy statistics the major changing factors for the annual emission changes were the consumption of coal and peat. In 2006 the hard coal increase was 92 % subject to industry (including energy producing industry) separate electricity generation from hard coal. At the same time the controversial peat consumption was increased. The district heating used 42 % of hard coal in average 1990-2006, but its annual variation was small compared to the industry separate electricity generation.
. Finland has a minority of Sami people
, Finnish Kale
and Swedish-speaking Finns. Sami people traditionally useed reindeer
s for transportation, currently snowmobile and car
are more popular, both of them use fossil fuels, reindeer uses pet and motor vechiles uses oil. In the 2000s Finnish court system has been repeatedly convicted of media restricions. In 2008 European Court of Human Rights
convicted Finland in eight cases.
In 2010 the leaders of the State Research Institute VTT tried to deny critics of their energy reports both before the Parliament decisions of the two additional new nuclear power
investments and the new energy tax excluding peat
tax. The case is under national investigation. VTT made new rules for the public statements. According to administration law professor of Helsinki University Olli Mäenpää: also the new principles of VTT are in conflict with the Finnish constitutional freedom to express ones opinions. Several professors gave equal statements.
Finland
Finland , officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of Northern Europe. It is bordered by Sweden in the west, Norway in the north and Russia in the east, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland.Around 5.4 million people reside...
lacks domestic sources of fossil energy and must import substantial amounts of petroleum
Petroleum
Petroleum or crude oil is a naturally occurring, flammable liquid consisting of a complex mixture of hydrocarbons of various molecular weights and other liquid organic compounds, that are found in geologic formations beneath the Earth's surface. Petroleum is recovered mostly through oil drilling...
, natural gas
Natural gas
Natural gas is a naturally occurring gas mixture consisting primarily of methane, typically with 0–20% higher hydrocarbons . It is found associated with other hydrocarbon fuel, in coal beds, as methane clathrates, and is an important fuel source and a major feedstock for fertilizers.Most natural...
, and other energy resources, including uranium
Uranium
Uranium is a silvery-white metallic chemical element in the actinide series of the periodic table, with atomic number 92. It is assigned the chemical symbol U. A uranium atom has 92 protons and 92 electrons, of which 6 are valence electrons...
for nuclear power
Nuclear power
Nuclear power is the use of sustained nuclear fission to generate heat and electricity. Nuclear power plants provide about 6% of the world's energy and 13–14% of the world's electricity, with the U.S., France, and Japan together accounting for about 50% of nuclear generated electricity...
.
Overview
| Energy in Finland | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Capita | Prim. energy | Production | Import | Electricity | CO2-emission | |
| Million | TWh | TWh | TWh | TWh | Mt | |
| 2004 | 5.23 | 443 | 185 | 247 | 87.7 | 68.9 |
| 2007 | 5.29 | 424 | 185 | 232 | 90.8 | 64.4 |
| 2008 | 5.31 | 410 | 193 | 230 | 86.9 | 56.6 |
| 2009 | 5.34 | 386 | 192 | 213 | 81.4 | 55.0 |
| Change 2004-2009 | 2.1 % | -12.9 % | 4.2 % | -13.5 % | -7.2 % | -20.2 % |
| Mtoe = 11.63 TWh, Prim. energy includes energy losses that are 2/3 for nuclear power | ||||||
There was no sustainable decline in CO2 emission in Finland during 1990-2007. The energy use decline 2008-2009 is based on recession and at least some paper industry factories relocation abroad. The annual changes of CO2 emissions of Finland were in some years 7-20 % during 1990-2007. Increase of emissions was 18 % in 1996 and 20 % in 2006. The peat energy
Peat energy in Finland
Peat energy in Finland describes peat energy use in Finland. Peat has high global warming emissions and high environmental concerns. It may be compared to brown coal or worse than this lowest rank of coal. Peat is the most harmful energy source for global warming in Finland...
use and CO2 emissions per capita had correlation in 1990-2007.
| CO2 tonnes per capita in Finland | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| t/capita | Annual change % | Peat Peat Peat is an accumulation of partially decayed vegetation matter or histosol. Peat forms in wetland bogs, moors, muskegs, pocosins, mires, and peat swamp forests. Peat is harvested as an important source of fuel in certain parts of the world... TWh |
|
| 1990 | 10.2 | 16 | |
| 1991 | 11.0 | 108 % | 16 |
| 1995 | 10.2 | 21 | |
| 1996 | 12.0 | 118 % | 24 |
| 2000 | 10.1 | 17 | |
| 2001 | 10.9 | 108 % | 24 |
| 2003 | 13.2 | 28 | |
| 2004 | 12.8 | 25 | |
| 2005 | 10.4 | 19 | |
| 2006 | 12.6 | 121 % | 26 |
| 2007 | 12.1 | 29 |
Consumption
Energy consumption increased 44 percent in electricityElectricity
Electricity is a general term encompassing a variety of phenomena resulting from the presence and flow of electric charge. These include many easily recognizable phenomena, such as lightning, static electricity, and the flow of electrical current in an electrical wire...
and 30 percent in the total energy use from 1990 to 2006. The increase in electricity consumption 15,000 GWh from 1995 to 2005 was more than the total hydropower
Hydropower
Hydropower, hydraulic power, hydrokinetic power or water power is power that is derived from the force or energy of falling water, which may be harnessed for useful purposes. Since ancient times, hydropower has been used for irrigation and the operation of various mechanical devices, such as...
capacity. The electricity consumption increased almost equally in all sectors (industry, homes, and services). The share of electricity generated from renewable energy
Renewable energy
Renewable energy is energy which comes from natural resources such as sunlight, wind, rain, tides, and geothermal heat, which are renewable . About 16% of global final energy consumption comes from renewables, with 10% coming from traditional biomass, which is mainly used for heating, and 3.4% from...
in Finland has been stable from 1998 to 2005: 11 to 12 percent plus yearly changing hydropower, together around 24 to 27 percent. The RE of total energy has been 24 percent (1998 to 2005). The forest industry black liquor
Black liquor
Black liquor is the spent cooking liquor from the kraft process when digesting pulpwood into paper pulp removing lignin, hemicelluloses and other extractives from the wood to free the cellulose fibers....
and forest industry wood burning
Wood fuel
Wood fuel is wood used as fuel. The burning of wood is currently the largest use of energy derived from a solid fuel biomass. Wood fuel can be used for cooking and heating, and occasionally for fueling steam engines and steam turbines that generate electricity. Wood fuel may be available as...
were 57 percent (1990) and 67 percent (2005) of the RE of total energy. The rest is mainly water power. The most of available hydropower for energy is already in use. The forest industry uses 30 percent of all electricity in Finland (1990–2005). Its process wastes, wood residues and black liquor, gave 7000-8000 GWh RE electricity in 2005. In the year 2005 this and electricity consumption fell 10 % compared to 2004 based on the long forest industry strike. Finland consumed (2005) 17.3 MWh electricity per capita compared to Germany 7.5 MWh per capita. This number includes the power losses of the distribution.
Electricity in Finland
In 2009 the consumption of energy sources in electricity generation by mode of production was: 28 % nuclear power, 16 % hydro power, 13% coal, 11 % natural gas, 5 % peat and 10 % wood fuels and other renewables. Net imports of electricity in 2009 were 15 %.Petroleum
In 2007 oil imports were almost 11 million tonnes in Finland. In 2006, Finnish oil imports came from RussiaRussia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
(64 percent), Norway
Norway
Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
(11 percent), Denmark
Denmark
Denmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark...
(11 percent), and the rest from United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
, Kazakhstan
Kazakhstan
Kazakhstan , officially the Republic of Kazakhstan, is a transcontinental country in Central Asia and Eastern Europe. Ranked as the ninth largest country in the world, it is also the world's largest landlocked country; its territory of is greater than Western Europe...
, and Algeria
Algeria
Algeria , officially the People's Democratic Republic of Algeria , also formally referred to as the Democratic and Popular Republic of Algeria, is a country in the Maghreb region of Northwest Africa with Algiers as its capital.In terms of land area, it is the largest country in Africa and the Arab...
. Petroleum comprises 24 percent of Finnish energy consumption. Most of petroleum is used in vehicle
Vehicle
A vehicle is a device that is designed or used to transport people or cargo. Most often vehicles are manufactured, such as bicycles, cars, motorcycles, trains, ships, boats, and aircraft....
s, but about 260,000 homes are heated by heating oil.
Neste Oil
Neste Oil
Neste Oil is a Finnish oil refining and marketing company producing mainly transportation fuels and other refined petroleum products. Neste Oil shares are quoted on the Helsinki Stock Exchange.- History :...
is the sole oil refiner
Oil refinery
An oil refinery or petroleum refinery is an industrial process plant where crude oil is processed and refined into more useful petroleum products, such as gasoline, diesel fuel, asphalt base, heating oil, kerosene, and liquefied petroleum gas...
in Finland, exporting petroleum products such as gasoline
Gasoline
Gasoline , or petrol , is a toxic, translucent, petroleum-derived liquid that is primarily used as a fuel in internal combustion engines. It consists mostly of organic compounds obtained by the fractional distillation of petroleum, enhanced with a variety of additives. Some gasolines also contain...
and fuel oil
Fuel oil
Fuel oil is a fraction obtained from petroleum distillation, either as a distillate or a residue. Broadly speaking, fuel oil is any liquid petroleum product that is burned in a furnace or boiler for the generation of heat or used in an engine for the generation of power, except oils having a flash...
to Baltic countries
Baltic countries
The term Baltic states refers to the Baltic territories which gained independence from the Russian Empire in the wake of World War I: primarily the contiguous trio of Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania ; Finland also fell within the scope of the term after initially gaining independence in the 1920s.The...
and North America
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
. Oil imports were valued at 6.5 billion euros and exports 3 billion euros in 2006.
Natural gas
In 2010 the share of gas in TPES was about 10 %. Finland was 100% dependent on a single supplier in gas, namely Russia. There is no gas storage capacity. There is alternative fuel obligation. The neighbouring country Sweden was 100% dependent on Danish gas in 2010. The share of gas in Sweden was lower than in Finland, 3.5 % in 2009 (13 Twh gas /376 Twh total final use). The gas dependency in Finland and Sweden was less than in average in OECD countries in 2010. 16 out of 28 IEA member countries are dependent on gas over 20% in TPES.Natural gas has been used since 1974 after the first oil crisis
1973 oil crisis
The 1973 oil crisis started in October 1973, when the members of Organization of Arab Petroleum Exporting Countries or the OAPEC proclaimed an oil embargo. This was "in response to the U.S. decision to re-supply the Israeli military" during the Yom Kippur war. It lasted until March 1974. With the...
. Gasum is the Finnish importer and seller of natural gas, which owns and operates Finnish natural gas transmission system. Natural gas vehicles aren't popular in Finland, but natural gas powered bus
Bus
A bus is a road vehicle designed to carry passengers. Buses can have a capacity as high as 300 passengers. The most common type of bus is the single-decker bus, with larger loads carried by double-decker buses and articulated buses, and smaller loads carried by midibuses and minibuses; coaches are...
ses exist.
Coal
Coal is imported from Russia and PolandPoland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
. 5.6 million tonnes were used in 2007.
According to Finnwatch (27.9.2010) there are 13 coal power plants in Finland. The companies Pohjolan Voima
Pohjolan Voima
Pohjolan Voima Oy is the second biggest Finnish energy company, which owns hydropower and thermal power plants . Pohjolan Voima is a founder and main shareholder of the Olkiluoto Nuclear Power Plant operator Teollisuuden Voima Oy...
, Fortum
Fortum
Fortum Oyj is a Finnish publicly listed energy company, which focuses on the Nordic and Baltic countries, Poland and the north-west of Russia. After acquisition of Russian energy company TGC-10 in year 2008, Western Siberia has become an important operating area for Fortum. The head of the company...
, Helsingin Energia
Helsingin Energia
Helsingin Energia , Helsingfors Energi , founded in 1909 and based in Helsinki, is one of the largest energy companies in Finland...
and Rautaruukki
Rautaruukki
Rautaruukki Corporation is a Finnish company, headquartered in Helsinki, which manufactures and supplies metal-based components and systems to the construction and engineering industries....
consume coal most. According to the statistics of the Customs 18.3 million tonnes of coal was imported in Finland between 2007-2009 from: 72.5 % Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
; 7.3 % USA; 6.6 % Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
; 5.9 % Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
; 3.0 % Poland
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
, 1.4 % South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
; 1.3 % Colombia
Colombia
Colombia, officially the Republic of Colombia , is a unitary constitutional republic comprising thirty-two departments. The country is located in northwestern South America, bordered to the east by Venezuela and Brazil; to the south by Ecuador and Peru; to the north by the Caribbean Sea; to the...
and 1.1 % Indonesia
Indonesia
Indonesia , officially the Republic of Indonesia , is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania. Indonesia is an archipelago comprising approximately 13,000 islands. It has 33 provinces with over 238 million people, and is the world's fourth most populous country. Indonesia is a republic, with an...
. The majority of Finnish coal is mined in the Kuznetsk Basin
Kuznetsk Basin
The Kuznetsk Basin in southwestern Siberia, Russia, is one of the largest coal mining areas in the world, covering an area of around . It lies in the Kuznetsk Depression between Tomsk and Novokuznetsk in the basin of the Tom River...
of the Kemerovo Oblast
Kemerovo Oblast
Kemerovo Oblast , also known as Kuzbass after the Kuznetsk Basin, is a federal subject of Russia , located in southwestern Siberia, where the West Siberian Plain meets the South Siberian mountains...
, Russia.
The Finnish companies know the country of origin of coal. The specific mine of origin is not always known, specially for the coal blends. According to the Finnwatch inquiry in 2010 none of the Finnish companies have made yet a commitment to give up coal consumption. Based on new investments companies reported following reductions in their future coal use: Helsingin Energia -40 % by 2020, Lahti Energia several tens of % by 2012 and Vantaan Energia -30 % by 2014.
Coal mining is considered as the most dangerous work in the world. In China seven persons die in the coal mines daily. The ILO
Ilo
Ilo is a port city in southern Peru, with some 58,000 inhabitants. It is the largest city in the Moquegua Region and capital of the province of Ilo.-History:...
agreement 176 (1995) address the health and safety risks in mines. Finland ratified the agreement in 1997. However, in 2010 the agreement was not ratified in the following countries that import coal in Finland: Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
, Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
, Colombia
Colombia
Colombia, officially the Republic of Colombia , is a unitary constitutional republic comprising thirty-two departments. The country is located in northwestern South America, bordered to the east by Venezuela and Brazil; to the south by Ecuador and Peru; to the north by the Caribbean Sea; to the...
, Kazakstan, Indonesia
Indonesia
Indonesia , officially the Republic of Indonesia , is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania. Indonesia is an archipelago comprising approximately 13,000 islands. It has 33 provinces with over 238 million people, and is the world's fourth most populous country. Indonesia is a republic, with an...
and China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
. At least two companies in Finland reported (2010) to use the UN Global Compact initiative criteria in their supplier relationships. None Finnish company reported signing of the UN Global Compact Initiative. According to the DanWatch report ”The Curse of Coal” Danish DONG Energy
DONG Energy
-History:The Danish state company Dansk Naturgas A/S was founded in 1972 to manage resources in the Danish sector of the North Sea. After some years, the company was renamed to Dansk Olie og Naturgas A/S . At the beginning of 2000s, DONG started to extend itself into the electricity market by...
and Swedish Vattenfall
Vattenfall
Vattenfall is a Swedish power company. The name Vattenfall is Swedish for waterfall, and is an abbreviation of its original name, Royal Waterfall Board...
have underlined UN Global Compact initiative.
Peat
PeatPeat
Peat is an accumulation of partially decayed vegetation matter or histosol. Peat forms in wetland bogs, moors, muskegs, pocosins, mires, and peat swamp forests. Peat is harvested as an important source of fuel in certain parts of the world...
and hard coal are the most harmful energy sources for global warming
Global warming
Global warming refers to the rising average temperature of Earth's atmosphere and oceans and its projected continuation. In the last 100 years, Earth's average surface temperature increased by about with about two thirds of the increase occurring over just the last three decades...
in Finland. According to VTT studies peat is often the most harmful one.
Peat is the most popular energy source in Finland for new energy investments 2005-2015. The new energy plants in Finland starting 2005-2015 have as energy source: peat 36 % and hard coal 11 %: combined: 47 %. The major carbon dioxide
Carbon dioxide
Carbon dioxide is a naturally occurring chemical compound composed of two oxygen atoms covalently bonded to a single carbon atom...
emitting peat plants during 2005-15 are/will be (CO2 kt): PVO
Pohjolan Voima
Pohjolan Voima Oy is the second biggest Finnish energy company, which owns hydropower and thermal power plants . Pohjolan Voima is a founder and main shareholder of the Olkiluoto Nuclear Power Plant operator Teollisuuden Voima Oy...
2700 kt, Jyväskylän Energia 561 kt, Etelä-Pohjanmaan Voima Oy (EPV Energia) 374 kt, Kuopion Energia 186 kt, UPM Kymmene 135 kt and Vapo 69 kt. EPV Energy is partner in TVO
Teollisuuden Voima
Teollisuuden Voima Oyj is a Finnish nuclear power company owned by a consortium of power and industrial companies. The biggest shareholders are Pohjolan Voima and Fortum...
nuclear plants and Jyväskylän and Kuopion Energia partners in Fennovoima
Fennovoima
Fennovoima Ltd is a Finnish nuclear power company owned by E.ON and a consortium of Finnish power and industrial companies. E.ON Kärnkraft Finland owns 34% of Fennovoima and Voimaosakeyhtiö SF owns 66%. Voimaosakeyhtiö SF has 69 shareholders....
nuclear plants in Finland.
According to IEA country report the Finnish subsidies for peat undermine the goal to reduce CO2 emissions and counteracts other environmental policies and The European Union emissions trading scheme. IEA recommends to adhere to the timetable to phase out the peat subsidies in 2010. “To encourage sustained production of peat in the face of negative incentives from the European Union’s emissions trading scheme for greenhouse gases, Finland has put in place a premium tariff scheme to subsidise peat. The premium tariff is designed to directly counter the effect of the European Union’s emissions trading scheme.”
Nuclear power
As of 2008, FinlandFinland
Finland , officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of Northern Europe. It is bordered by Sweden in the west, Norway in the north and Russia in the east, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland.Around 5.4 million people reside...
's nuclear power
Nuclear power
Nuclear power is the use of sustained nuclear fission to generate heat and electricity. Nuclear power plants provide about 6% of the world's energy and 13–14% of the world's electricity, with the U.S., France, and Japan together accounting for about 50% of nuclear generated electricity...
program has four nuclear reactor
Nuclear reactor
A nuclear reactor is a device to initiate and control a sustained nuclear chain reaction. Most commonly they are used for generating electricity and for the propulsion of ships. Usually heat from nuclear fission is passed to a working fluid , which runs through turbines that power either ship's...
s in two power plants
Nuclear power plant
A nuclear power plant is a thermal power station in which the heat source is one or more nuclear reactors. As in a conventional thermal power station the heat is used to generate steam which drives a steam turbine connected to a generator which produces electricity.Nuclear power plants are usually...
. The first of these came into operation in 1977. In 2007 they provided 28.4% of Finland's electricity. They are among the world's most efficient, with average capacity factors of 94% in the 1990s. A fifth nuclear reactor is under construction, scheduled to go online in 2012.
Renewable energy
Renewable energy of electricity (2005):- Water, 60 percent
- Forest industry black liquor, 22 percent
- Other wood residues, 16 percent
- Wind power, 0.2 percent
- Other, 1 percent
The renewable energy objectives
Renewable energy in the European Union
The countries of the European Union are currently the number two global leaders in the development and application of renewable energy. Promoting the use of renewable energy sources is important both to the reduction of the EU's dependence on foreign energy imports, and in meeting targets to combat...
set by the European Union
European Union
The European Union is an economic and political union of 27 independent member states which are located primarily in Europe. The EU traces its origins from the European Coal and Steel Community and the European Economic Community , formed by six countries in 1958...
are 22 percent renewable source electricity and 12 percent renewable of primary energy by 2010 under the European Union directive 2003/30/EC
Directive on the Promotion of the use of biofuels and other renewable fuels for transport
The Directive on the Promotion of the use of biofuels and other renewable fuels for transport, officially 2003/30/EC and popularly better known as the biofuels directive is a European Union directive for promoting the use of biofuels for EU transport...
(Directive on the Promotion of the use of biofuels and other renewable fuels for transport) and white paper
EU policy measures
The European Union uses a range of legal instruments to implement policy, varied across two major decision-making processes co-decision and cooperation procedure.-Green Paper:...
. This includes the objectives of 40 GW wind power, 3 GW photovoltaics
Photovoltaics
Photovoltaics is a method of generating electrical power by converting solar radiation into direct current electricity using semiconductors that exhibit the photovoltaic effect. Photovoltaic power generation employs solar panels composed of a number of solar cells containing a photovoltaic material...
and 5.75 percent biofuels by 2010.
Energy policy
The objective of RE (2005) of electricity was 35 % (1997–2010). However, (2006) the Finnish objective was dropped to 31.5 % (1997–2010). According to ‘Renewables Global Status Report’ Finland aims to increase RE only 2 % in 13 years. This objective to add the RE use with 2 % in 13 years is among the modest of all the EU countries.Carbon emissions
The Finnish CO2 emissions grew 14.5 % (1990:2004), when EU average was - 0.6 %. According to the Finnish RE organisations and Finnish public the potential of RE increase in Finland is huge.The carbon dioxide emissions by fossil fuels in 2008 originated from 45 % oil, 39 % coal and 15 % natural gas. In the year 2000 the shares were nearly equal: 48 % oil and 37 % coal. The fossil traffic fuels: motor petrol, diesel and aviation petrol are oil products. The biomass included 47 % of black liquer and 52 % of wood in 2008. These shares were practically same during 1990-2006. All biomass and agricultural warming gas emissions are free of charge in the EU emissions trading in 2008-2012. According to the official statistics the annual fossil fuel and coal emissions in Finland have large annual variation. E.g. the fossil fuel CO2 emissions dropped 18 % in the year 2005 and 13 % in 2008, but the annual coal emissions increased 22 % in 1996, 22 % in 2001 and 58 % in 2006.
According to the energy statistics the major changing factors for the annual emission changes were the consumption of coal and peat. In 2006 the hard coal increase was 92 % subject to industry (including energy producing industry) separate electricity generation from hard coal. At the same time the controversial peat consumption was increased. The district heating used 42 % of hard coal in average 1990-2006, but its annual variation was small compared to the industry separate electricity generation.
| Carbon Dioxide Emissions by Fuels | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| mil. t CO2 | % of fossil fuels total | |||||
| Year | Biomass | Fossil | Coal | Oil | N. gas | Traffic |
| 1990 | 19.3 | 53.0 | 38 | 31 | 9 | 22 |
| 2000 | 29.4 | 53.1 | 37 | 26 | 15 | 22 |
| 2004 | 32.9 | 64.3 | 45 | 21 | 14 | 20 |
| 2005 | 30.7 | 52.8 | 35 | 25 | 16 | 24 |
| 2006 | 34.5 | 64.1 | 45 | 20 | 14 | 20 |
| 2007 | 33.0 | 61.8 | 45 | 21 | 13 | 21 |
| 2008 | 33.1 | 53.7 | 39 | 22 | 15 | 24 |
| Coal: Hard coal, other coal and peat Other coal: coke, blast furnace gas Blast furnace gas Blast furnace gas is a by-product of blast furnaces that is generated when the iron ore is reduced with coke to metallic iron. It has a very low heating value, about 93 BTU/cubic foot, because it consists of about 60 percent nitrogen, 18-20% carbon dioxide and some oxygen, which are not flammable.... , coke oven gas, coal tar Coal tar Coal tar is a brown or black liquid of extremely high viscosity, which smells of naphthalene and aromatic hydrocarbons. Coal tar is among the by-products when coal iscarbonized to make coke or gasified to make coal gas... , and other non-specified coal Oil: Heavy fuel oil, light fuel oil and other oil Natural gas Natural gas Natural gas is a naturally occurring gas mixture consisting primarily of methane, typically with 0–20% higher hydrocarbons . It is found associated with other hydrocarbon fuel, in coal beds, as methane clathrates, and is an important fuel source and a major feedstock for fertilizers.Most natural... Fossil traffic fuels: motor petrol, diesel and aviation petrol Biomass Biomass Biomass, as a renewable energy source, is biological material from living, or recently living organisms. As an energy source, biomass can either be used directly, or converted into other energy products such as biofuel.... : black liquer and wood Greenhouse gas emissions have been published annually in April by Statistics Finland. |
||||||
| Carbon Dioxide Emissions by Fuels: Coal | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| mil. t CO2 | % of fossil total | ||||||
| Fossil | Hard coal | Other coal | Peat | Coal total | Peat | Coal total | |
| 1990 | 53.0 | 12 | 3 | 6 | 20.1 | 10.6 | 37.9 |
| 2000 | 53.1 | 9 | 4 | 7 | 19.4 | 12.2 | 36.5 |
| 2004 | 64.3 | 16 | 4 | 9 | 28.7 | 14.5 | 44.6 |
| 2005 | 52.8 | 8 | 4 | 7 | 18.3 | 13.6 | 34.7 |
| 2006 | 64.1 | 15 | 4 | 10 | 28.9 | 15.3 | 45.1 |
| 2007 | 61.8 | 13 | 4 | 11 | 27.4 | 17.3 | 44.3 |
| 2008 | 53.7 | 9 | 3 | 9 | 20.7 | 15.8 | 38.5 |
| Other coal: coke, blast furnace gas, coke oven gas, coal tar and other non specified coal | |||||||
Human rights
As of 2010, Finland has not ratified the international agreement to protect the rights of the Indigenous peoplesIndigenous peoples
Indigenous peoples are ethnic groups that are defined as indigenous according to one of the various definitions of the term, there is no universally accepted definition but most of which carry connotations of being the "original inhabitants" of a territory....
. Finland has a minority of Sami people
Sami people
The Sami people, also spelled Sámi, or Saami, are the arctic indigenous people inhabiting Sápmi, which today encompasses parts of far northern Sweden, Norway, Finland, the Kola Peninsula of Russia, and the border area between south and middle Sweden and Norway. The Sámi are Europe’s northernmost...
, Finnish Kale
Finnish Kale
The Finnish Kale "blacks") or the Finnish romanis are a group of the Romani people that live primarily in Finland and Sweden.Their main languages are Finnish and Finnish Romani. They are mostly Christian.-History:...
and Swedish-speaking Finns. Sami people traditionally useed reindeer
Reindeer
The reindeer , also known as the caribou in North America, is a deer from the Arctic and Subarctic, including both resident and migratory populations. While overall widespread and numerous, some of its subspecies are rare and one has already gone extinct.Reindeer vary considerably in color and size...
s for transportation, currently snowmobile and car
Čar
Čar is a village in the municipality of Bujanovac, Serbia. According to the 2002 census, the town has a population of 296 people.-References:...
are more popular, both of them use fossil fuels, reindeer uses pet and motor vechiles uses oil. In the 2000s Finnish court system has been repeatedly convicted of media restricions. In 2008 European Court of Human Rights
European Court of Human Rights
The European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg is a supra-national court established by the European Convention on Human Rights and hears complaints that a contracting state has violated the human rights enshrined in the Convention and its protocols. Complaints can be brought by individuals or...
convicted Finland in eight cases.
In 2010 the leaders of the State Research Institute VTT tried to deny critics of their energy reports both before the Parliament decisions of the two additional new nuclear power
Nuclear power in Finland
As of 2008, Finland's nuclear power program has four nuclear reactors in two power plants. The first of these came into operation in 1977. In 2007 they provided 28.4% of Finland's electricity. They are among the world's most productive, with average capacity factors of 94% in the 1990s...
investments and the new energy tax excluding peat
Peat energy in Finland
Peat energy in Finland describes peat energy use in Finland. Peat has high global warming emissions and high environmental concerns. It may be compared to brown coal or worse than this lowest rank of coal. Peat is the most harmful energy source for global warming in Finland...
tax. The case is under national investigation. VTT made new rules for the public statements. According to administration law professor of Helsinki University Olli Mäenpää: also the new principles of VTT are in conflict with the Finnish constitutional freedom to express ones opinions. Several professors gave equal statements.
External links
- Finland’s National Energy Efficiency Action Plan (NEEAP 2008–2010) 26.6.2007