Finland Times

 

Consumption of hard coal, 1,000 tonnes. Source: Consumption of hard coal, Statistics Finland.

Consumption of hard coal decreased by 37 per cent in the January to September period compared with the corresponding period of last year, according to Statistics Finland's preliminary data.

 

Consumption of hard coal as a fuel in the generation of electricity and heat amounted to 1.8 million tonnes, corresponding to around 44 petajoules in energy content.

 

Compared to the average for the January to September period in the 2000s, consumption of hard coal was now 47 per cent lower, the data show.

 

Consumption of hard coal dropped most in plants of separate production of electricity. The profitability of hard coal in separate production of electricity and in combined heat and power production has weakened due to the distinct drop in the price of electricity in the Nordic electricity exchange.

 

Two coal condensate plants were transferred into long-term preservation due to profitability problems in the summer.

 

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.

 

The water situation in the Nordic countries also affects the demand for separate production of electricity in particular.

 

At the end of September 2015, stocks of hard coal totalled 3.7 million tonnes, or three per cent more than one year earlier.