Media: Finland reduced gas consumption and set a record

HELSINKI, SEP 14 – PRIME. Finland reduced natural gas consumption in the first half of the year, avoiding disruptions in the production or heating of homes, reports the country’s largest newspaper Helsingin sanomat.

According to the publication, in January-August, the country consumed about 8.8 terawatt-hours of natural gas. At the same time, for the same period in 2021, the figure was 17.8 terawatt-hours.

“Reducing consumption by about 50% is a European record,” the publication says.

According to the newspaper, based on data from the Brugel think tank, no other country in the European Union has managed to achieve such a significant reduction. In the first half of 2022, gas consumption in the EU as a whole decreased by only 6% year-on-year, against a target of 15%, and even a slight increase was recorded in some countries.

Experts attribute Finland’s success to a small number of houses with individual gas heating, as well as the replacement of gas with other types of fuel, such as coal, peat and biomass. Heikki Lindfors, an expert on the gas market of the Energy Industries Association, believes that greater flexibility in the industry will no longer be achieved and a further reduction in consumption will be associated with a halt in production.