The consumption of hard coal in Finland increased by 10 percent during 2022 compared to the previous year, according to preliminary data published on Wednesday by Statistics Finland.
The increased usage was especially apparent in the production of electricity and heat, the number-crunching agency noted, although consumption of coal as an industrial fuel decreased.
Russia's invasion of Ukraine last February has caused turmoil in the energy market, leading to coal replacing natural gas, to an extent, as the importing of electricity has been heavily affected by the ongoing war and subsequent sanctions.
Despite the increased use last year, Statistics Finland noted that the trend of coal consumption has been in decline for many years, and the number of industrial plants using hard coal has continued to fall.
"In 2022, altogether 51 percent less hard coal was consumed than on average in the 2000s," the agency's report said.
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