Concerns about the environmental performance of energy production from fossil fuel are increasing all over Europe. As a member of the European Union, Finland has committed to reach the climate and energy targets, such as reducing domestic emissions of greenhouse gases (by at least 40% by 2030 compared to 1990 level) and increasing the national share of renewable energy in the gross final consumption (to 27% by 2030). The Finnish government support electricity production based on wind power, biogas, forest chips and wood fuels (e.g. Finland’s national action plan for promoting energy from renewable sources pursuant to Directive 2009/28/EC). Wood is one of the country’s main natural resources – more than three-fourths of the land is forested.Therefore it is not surprising that the use of wood-based fuels is promoted (e.g. “heat bonus” allocated to CHP plants). In order to meet national and European Union climate objectives Finland decided to phase out fossil-based energy. Recent government proposal approved by the Finnish Parliament states that the coal will be banned from use as an energy source by 2029, except in an emergency. Nowadays coal generates about 9% of the country’s power needs, whereas one-quarter of total energy supply is derived from a wood-based fuels (Figure 1.). The ban is expected to increase even more the role of wood biomass in energy production in Finland.
Keywords: wood-based fuel, coal, decarbonization plan
Authors
Marta Górska
Poznań University of Life Sciences, Poznań, Poland
Tere Vadén
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