FAMAGUSTA GAZETTE – Finland generated up to 95 percent of its electricity from fossil-free sources in 2024, including nuclear, wind, hydro, solar, and renewable fuels, according to preliminary data released Tuesday by Statistics Finland.
Nuclear power accounted for the largest share of electricity production at 38 percent, followed by wind power at 24 percent, which surpassed hydropower at 17 percent for the first time. Solar energy also saw significant growth.
Wind and solar power generation jumped 37 percent and 61 percent, respectively, compared to 2023. Meanwhile, hydropower output declined by 6 percent, and nuclear generation fell by 5 percent, the statistical agency reported.
Coal-fired electricity production dropped 50 percent year-on-year, contributing just 1 percent to total consumption. Overall electricity use increased 3 percent to 82.7 terawatt-hours (TWh), with domestic production covering 96 percent of demand. Net imports accounted for the remaining 4 percent, with Sweden remaining Finland’s top electricity supplier.
Finland’s government confirmed that coal-fired electricity production will end this spring after energy firms Helen and Vantaan Energia closed the country’s last coal-fired power plants. The closures come four years ahead of the legislative deadline to phase out coal by May 2029.
Finland began cutting coal use in the 2010s as part of its decarbonization strategy. In 2019, lawmakers passed a law banning coal as an energy source, a measure the government described as the first of its kind worldwide.