Coal will be gradually phased out over the next decade, with existing coal plants owned by Fortum and other energy firms forced to wind down their operations. A public programme will be introduced to compensate some of the costs, a parliamentary official said.

After May 1 2029, coal may only be used in Finland in an emergency.

“It has been planned for quite some time, yesterday it was approved,” said Lauri Tenhunen, a senior adviser to the Parliamentary commerce committee, which prepared the legislation.

The legislation was strongly supported by Kimmo Tiilikainen, the Finnish environment minister, who has been campaigning for the Finnish coal phase-out to be accelerated in order to minimise carbon dioxide emissions and mitigate climate change.

The decision puts Finland in line with many other Western nations turning away from coal power: the “dirtiest” form of fossil fuel power. France and Sweden plan to phase out coal in the next few years, while the UK, Ireland, Italy and Austria all aim to do so by 2025, followed by several other European Union member states in the following years. Canada aims to phase out coal by 2030.

“Already, most EU member states have banned new coal power plants,” Gerard Wynn, an energy consultant for the Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis, told Renew Economy. “By approving a coal phase-out plan, Finland joins 10 other EU countries planning to eliminate existing coal power plants as well.”

Coal – mostly imported from Russia – represents just eight per cent of Finland’s total energy consumption. Renewable energy sources contribute almost 40 per cent of Finland’s energy consumption.  Nuclear power and biofuel extracted from Finland’s natural resources, such as peat and wood, also contribute significantly to its energy mix.

The decision was largely welcomed by environment campaigners: “We are happy that the coal ban is finally true,” Olli Tiainen of Greenpeace Nordic said in a statement. “2029 is, however, not fast enough, but it is definitely the right direction. This opens up the possibility to ban other fossil fuels as well.” Tiainen added that coal burning should not be replaced with biofuel and instead should be replaced with climate neutral energy sources.

Since approving the legislation, Finland has used a meeting of EU ministers to call on the bloc to commit to working towards a net-zero carbon footprint by 2050. Finland will assume the EU’s rotating presidency later this year, and is expected to make climate mitigation a priority during its premiership.

“The European Union must align our climate and energy policy according to the 1.5°C [rise in average global temperatures] target. That means that the EU must achieve carbon neutrality by 2050,” Tiilikainen told Reuters. “Finland is prepared to take this work forward during our presidency and we are aiming to reach the Council conclusions during that time.”

Coal will be gradually phased out over the next decade, with existing coal plants owned by Fortum and other energy firms forced to wind down their operations. A public programme will be introduced to compensate some of the costs, a parliamentary official said.

After May 1 2029, coal may only be used in Finland in an emergency.

“It has been planned for quite some time, yesterday it was approved,” said Lauri Tenhunen, a senior adviser to the Parliamentary commerce committee, which prepared the legislation.

The legislation was strongly supported by Kimmo Tiilikainen, the Finnish environment minister, who has been campaigning for the Finnish coal phase-out to be accelerated in order to minimise carbon dioxide emissions and mitigate climate change.

The decision puts Finland in line with many other Western nations turning away from coal power: the “dirtiest” form of fossil fuel power. France and Sweden plan to phase out coal in the next few years, while the UK, Ireland, Italy and Austria all aim to do so by 2025, followed by several other European Union member states in the following years. Canada aims to phase out coal by 2030.

“Already, most EU member states have banned new coal power plants,” Gerard Wynn, an energy consultant for the Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis, told Renew Economy. “By approving a coal phase-out plan, Finland joins 10 other EU countries planning to eliminate existing coal power plants as well.”

Coal – mostly imported from Russia – represents just eight per cent of Finland’s total energy consumption. Renewable energy sources contribute almost 40 per cent of Finland’s energy consumption.  Nuclear power and biofuel extracted from Finland’s natural resources, such as peat and wood, also contribute significantly to its energy mix.

The decision was largely welcomed by environment campaigners: “We are happy that the coal ban is finally true,” Olli Tiainen of Greenpeace Nordic said in a statement. “2029 is, however, not fast enough, but it is definitely the right direction. This opens up the possibility to ban other fossil fuels as well.” Tiainen added that coal burning should not be replaced with biofuel and instead should be replaced with climate neutral energy sources.

Since approving the legislation, Finland has used a meeting of EU ministers to call on the bloc to commit to working towards a net-zero carbon footprint by 2050. Finland will assume the EU’s rotating presidency later this year, and is expected to make climate mitigation a priority during its premiership.

“The European Union must align our climate and energy policy according to the 1.5°C [rise in average global temperatures] target. That means that the EU must achieve carbon neutrality by 2050,” Tiilikainen told Reuters. “Finland is prepared to take this work forward during our presidency and we are aiming to reach the Council conclusions during that time.”