Finland will be self-sufficient in electricity within a year or two, says minister | New

This year, wind power could meet 12% of Finland’s electricity needs, almost as much as the new nuclear reactor at Olkiluoto 3 is to supply.

Finland will be self-sufficient in electricity within a year or two, economic affairs minister predicts Mika Lintila (Cen).

Asked about the current affairs program Yle Ykkösaamu on Saturday, Lintilä said this was due to investments in national electricity production.

Finland has diversified its energy mix in a planned way, he said.

If the Olkiluoto 3 (OL3) nuclear reactor operates as planned after the end of the year, Finland will take a step towards self-sufficiency in electricity. The long-delayed unit is being tested and could reach full capacity in December.

On Friday, OL3 became Finland’s biggest power-generating unit when its output topped 1,000 megawatts.

“Last spring, we were able to completely disconnect from Russian energy within a few months. A versatile energy mix, with domestic production playing a major role, will also give us room for maneuver in the future,” Lintilä said.

According to Lintilä, two things are certain.

“There is no going back to the old situation. We know that Finland will be self-sufficient in electricity within two years. We have investments in national electricity production for this,” he said. declared.

Wind power is being built in Finland at a record rate this year, reports the business daily Kauppalehti. More wind turbines were built in Finland in the first half of 2022 than in the entire previous year combined.

Last year, a record number of 141 new wind turbines were built. This record was surpassed in June, with 154 new units completed in the first six months of 2022.

At the end of June, Finland’s wind capacity was around 4,000 megawatts. This year, wind power could meet 12% of Finland’s electricity needs, almost as much as OL3 is expected to supply.

New transmission link between Finland and Sweden

Speaking after an emergency meeting of EU energy ministers in Brussels on Friday, Lintilä said there was a “very strong” will among EU countries to cut fuel prices. energy.

For Finland, electricity transmission connections with Finland’s Nordic neighbors are crucial, the minister said.

“We are in close contact with the other Nordic countries and hope that the cooperation will continue. This energy war must be fought on a united front. The fracturing of EU member states would only benefit Putin,” Lintilä warned. .

He noted that there is a lot of power generation in northern Sweden that cannot be moved south due to transfer bottlenecks.

“The natural route for this electricity is Finland. The most recent project this fall is the construction of the Aurora Line electricity transmission connection between Finland and Sweden.

National transmission system operator Fingrid and its Swedish counterpart Svenska kraftnät are planning a new 400 kV transmission line between Muhos, Finland, and the Messaure hydroelectric power station near Jokkmokk, Sweden.

When completed in 2025, the line will increase cross-border capacity between the countries by 800 to 900 MW in each direction.