HELSINKI, April 1 (Reuters) — Finland’s final coal-fired power and heat plant in regular use will shut down on Tuesday, marking a major milestone in the country’s transition to cleaner energy. The closure will help lower carbon emissions and reduce energy costs for consumers, according to the plant’s operator, Helen.
Helen CEO Olli Sirkka said the shutdown of the Salmisaari facility in Helsinki officially ends the daily use of coal in Finland’s energy production. “Of course, we cannot say that not a single gram of coal will ever be burned again in Finland,” he told Reuters. “There are still crisis-related backups in place. But this is the last coal plant operating on a daily basis.”
The decision follows a 2019 law that bans the use of coal in energy production from 2029. Since then, Finland has rapidly expanded its renewable energy sources, including wind and solar power.
The Salmisaari plant had produced 175 megawatts of electricity and 300 megawatts of heat each year. Helen plans to replace this output using a mix of electricity, waste heat, heat pumps, and biomass fuels like pellets and wood chips. The company aims to gradually phase out all forms of combustion by 2040.
“In the long term, we intend to eliminate all burning,” Sirkka said. Helen also targets reducing its emissions to just 5% of 1990 levels by 2030.
Owned by the city of Helsinki, Helen was the last energy provider in Finland still using coal for regular power and heat generation. Sirkka explained that the delay was due to a lack of clean alternatives that could fully meet the capital’s energy needs. On the coldest days of winter, Helsinki’s heating demand alone accounts for about 20% of Finland’s total power production.
“A clean energy transition doesn’t come cheap,” Sirkka said. “But it’s a value-based decision that both Helen and Finnish society have chosen to make.”
Despite the high costs of switching to cleaner sources, Finland continues to offer some of the most affordable electricity in Europe. Only Sweden and Norway have cheaper electricity, according to Sirkka. He also said Helen expects district heating prices for customers to fall by 5.8% on average this year.
With the Salmisaari closure, Helen estimates it will cut its carbon dioxide emissions by 50% compared to last year. The plant’s shutdown will also reduce Finland’s total emissions by nearly 2%.
Environmental group Beyond Fossil Fuels welcomed the closure, noting that Finland’s exit from coal is nearly complete. Only two small plants still use coal, and one additional plant remains available for emergency or peak-time use.
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