The total energy consumption in Finland amounted to 1.32 million terajoules (TJ) in 2023, which was two per cent higher from the previous year, according to Statistics Finland.
Nuclear energy, wind and hydro power increased by 31 per cent, decreasing fuel consumption by six per cent, and emissions by 14 per cent according to preliminary data.
The consumption of fossil fuels and peat decreased in total by 10 per cent.
The share of renewable energy in total energy consumption remained at 42 perc cent in 2023.
The transition towards a cleaner energy system took a leap forward in 2023, with continued investment in wind power generation, a marked increase in solar power production and the first full year of operation of the Olkiluoto 3 nuclear power plant, which contributed to reducing demand for fossil fuels and peat, as well as emissions.
Hydropower production also increased last year compared to the previous year. Non-combustion based generation covered as much as 79 % of total electricity consumption in 2023, compared to 61 % in 2022.
In 2023, nuclear, hydro, wind and solar power produced 13 terawatt hours more electricity than in the previous year, which contributed to a 22 % decrease in combustion-based electricity production and a 22 % decrease in net electricity imports. At the same time, electricity demand decreased by 2 %.
The increase in nuclear, wind and hydro power in electricity generation reduced the need for combined heat and power (CHP) generation.
The need for heat increased the separate production of district heat as less heat was available from the CHP side. Overall, district heat production from fuels decreased as the use of other heat sources increased.
Overall, fuel consumption decreased by 6 % in 2023, with fossil fuels and peat decreasing more than renewable fuels.
The exception to the decrease in fossil fuel use in 2023 was natural gas, which increased by 9 % in energy use compared to the previous year. In 2022, the use of natural gas collapsed to about half of the previous year due to the declining availability and high price of natural gas and liquefied natural gas (LNG). In 2023, combined imports of natural gas and LNG increased by 43 % from the previous year.
- Energy
- Consumption
- 2023
Source: www.dailyfinland.fi
