Finland Energy and Environment Facts

Natural resources and energy

Energy consumption is relatively high in Finland, which uses significantly more nuclear power than many other EU countries. But the country is still dependent on imported oil and natural gas. Finland also consumes large amounts of biofuel such as peat and wood.

The forest is one of Finland’s most important raw materials. Forest raw materials are used in the wood, cellulose and paper industry as well as for the manufacture of matches and wood wool. The country is one of the world’s largest manufacturers of paper and cardboard.

  • COUNTRYAAH: Major exports by Finland with a full list of the top products exported by the country. Includes trade value in U.S. dollars and the percentage for each product category.

Other raw materials include iron ore, but also copper, nickel, lead, zinc and precious metals such as gold and silver. Some rare alloys are also extracted.

The large amount of energy is used, partly for heating and partly for energy-consuming processes in the paper industry. The energy demand is covered to a considerable extent by domestic sources, such as heat energy from industrial waste, peat and wood, nuclear power and hydropower. More than a third of the energy demand is covered by oil and gas, which are mostly imported from Russia. In 2020, Finland became part of a common gas market with Latvia and Estonia. Finland can thus receive gas through a new gas pipeline from Latvian natural gas storage facilities in Incukalns, which means that dependence on Russian gas may decrease somewhat.

Finland is one of the few countries in the world that is still building new nuclear power plants. The country has four nuclear reactors, while the construction of a fifth reactor is almost complete. The government has given a clear sign to the construction of a sixth reactor in PyhÀjoki in central Finland. Although opposition to nuclear power has not been as strong in Finland as in many other countries, its advantages and disadvantages have been increasingly discussed as climate issues end up on the political agenda.

  • Abbreviationfinder: A popular acronym site in the world covering abbreviation for each country. For example, FI stands for Finland. Visit itypeusa for more information about Finland.

Finland has signed both the Kyoto Agreement of 1997 and the Paris Agreement of 2015, which aim to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in the countries of the world. Finland’s goal is to be fossil-free by 2035 and no longer have a negative impact on the climate with greenhouse gas emissions. However, environmental organizations believe that it will be difficult for Finland to reach the ambitious targets unless the use of the domestic fossil fuel peat is phased out

FACTS – ENERGY AND ENVIRONMENT

Energy use per person

5 925 kilos of oil equivalent (2015)

Electricity consumption per person

15250 kilowatt hours, kWh (2014)

Carbon dioxide emissions in total

47 301 thousand tonnes (2014)

Carbon dioxide emissions per inhabitant

8.7 tonnes (2014)

The share of energy from renewable sources

43.2 percent (2015)

2016

September

Nynazist arrested for murder

September 21

A Finnish court calls for notorious neo-Nazi Jesse Torniainen arrested, suspected of assault and murder. Earlier this month, Torniainen kicked a passing man in the chest so hard that the man later died in hospital. The death trafficking occurred in connection with a neo-Nazi demonstration in Helsinki. The death victim must have spit on the Torniainen.

The number of asylum dwellings is radically reduced

2 September

The head of the Finnish Migration Agency, Pekka Nuutinen, says that the number of asylum residents will be reduced from 30,000 this year to 10,000 by the end of 2017. The decrease is a result of the number of refugees applying to Finland having dropped significantly, from 32,500 in 2015 to an estimated 10,000 in 2016.

June

Stubb resigns as Finance Minister

June 11

As a result of the change of leader in the Collection Party, Stubb resigns from the post of finance minister. He is also replaced by Orpo in this function. New Minister of the Interior becomes Paula Risikko.

New leader of the Assembly Party

June 11

At the Congress Party Congress, Finance Minister Alexander Stubb loses the vote on the party leader post. New party leader becomes Interior Minister Petteri Orpo.

May

The Orpo Assembly Party is the most popular in the government

15th of May

An opinion poll, made by the broadcaster YLE, shows that Minister of the Interior Petteri Orpo is the most popular minister. The reason is believed to be that he is considered to have handled the refugee situation well.

March

Border crossings in the north are closed to refugees

March 23rd

Russia and Finland agree to close the two northern border crossings for refugees. The closure will be valid for 180 days, but when is unclear. Over the last four months, more than 1,700 asylum seekers have applied across Finland’s northern border, most often from Afghanistan or Syria. In 2015, Finland received about 32,500 asylum seekers, which is ten times more than in 2014.

Finland Energy and Environment Facts

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