According to the report, Finland has taken great steps towards its carbon neutrality goals, including the construction of onshore wind power capacity and the start-up of Olkiluoto 3, the third nuclear reactor of the Olkiluoto nuclear power plant, on the Eurajoki in Satakunta.
“Finland has a good chance of achieving its goals thanks to the hard work and investments it has already made in nuclear power plants and hydropower – and the country is a pioneer in several key energy technologies, such as batteries and heat pumps”, stated Fatih BirolExecutive Director of the IEA.
“At the same time, Finland still has high energy consumption in relation to the size of its economy, which shows the possibility of energy efficiency to improve energy security and reduce emissions in areas such as transport and industry.
The country also still faces significant challenges, according to the IEA.
Fossil fuel imports continue to play a large role in sectors of the economy, including industry and transport, and account for more than a third of the country’s energy supply. Last year, for the first time, the land use sector changed from a major carbon sink to a source of emissions due to heavy logging and slowing tree growth, creating uncertainty about the carbon neutrality goal.
According to the IEA, Finland should draw up a contingency plan to achieve carbon neutrality by 2035, even in the event that land use is not able to bind carbon dioxide from the atmosphere as much as the central government expects.
It also presented several other recommendations for Finland. The government must ensure that the measures taken due to energy price shocks do not conflict with long-term clean energy decisions and investment signals, speed up the introduction of electric vehicles with a clear plan for expanding the charging infrastructure and draw up a clear road map. offshore wind regulatory regime and deployment timetables.
Aleksi Teivainen – HT
Source: The Nordic Page