Finland has officially closed the coal chapter of its energy history. This week in Helsinki, the country’s last coal plant, the Salmisari facility owned by the energy company Helen, ceased operations. The event is part of a plan approved back in 2019—to completely stop using coal by 2029. Even now, coal’s share in the country’s energy balance has dropped to below 1%, compared with 6.7% in 2023.
Helen is betting on sustainable and flexible energy. Among the new sources of heat are heat pumps, reusing industrial heat waste, and environmentally cleaner biomass. Helen CEO Oili Sirkka said that switching to cleaner energy sources not only improves the environmental situation, but also reduces tariffs for consumers, while increasing Finland’s energy independence. Finland is demonstrating that climate responsibility can go together with economic benefits.
