Towards a Baltic Sea Region Strategy in Critical ... - Helsinki.fi

CHAPTER II: ELECTRICITY
electricity from the west. The large net import of electricity can be problematic in
the future. If domestic electricity consumption in neighbouring countries –
especially in Russia - were to increase rapidly, it could have an effect on the
availability and price of electricity in Finland.
Renewable energy sources cover 25% of all energy consumption in Finland;
a good result compared to other European countries without large hydro power
resources.
As the dependency on electricity is increasing in Finland, the heating systems
are also changing. Thirty years ago, 40% of all houses were heated by wood.
Today, the number is only about 10%. At the turn of the year 2006, about 655,000
residences - inhabited by about 1.6 million citizens - were heated by electricity
(about 18% of the heating market). Nowadays, district heating is the most common
heating system in Finland. District heating accounts for about 50% of the total
heating market (2.5 million citizens).
Electricity Supply by Energy Sources
Natrural gas
10,9 %
Waste fuels
1,1 %
Coal
17,9 %
Nuclear power
24,4 %
Oil
2,0 %
Net imports
12,7 %
Peat
6,9 %
Hydro power
12,6 %
Wind power
0,2 %
Bio fuel
11,3 %
Figure II—1 Electricity supply in Finland year 2006. (Finnish Energy Industry 2007)
District heating is a natural solution for provision of heat and electricity in built-up
areas of Finland and can be carried out efficiently in combined heat and power
(CHP) plants, which utilize 80–90% of the fuel energy value. When electricity is
generated separately, the utilisation rate of fuel energy is a mere 40–50%. Heat and
electricity is produced locally using a varied selection of fuels – natural gas, coal,
peat, wood and waste wood, or oil – while also taking into account the overall
economy and the impact on the environment. Thanks to the efficiency of CHP,
emissions to the environment are about 30 % less than in separate heat and
electricity generation. Useable heat from industrial production can also be utilised
for district heating.
The problem is, however, that there is a very close interdependency between
provision of electricity and heat; if the provision of electricity suffers from
disturbances, the provision of heat will also get affected, causing additional
NORDREGIO REPORT 2007:5 59