Finland plans to ban coal use in energy production by 2030

Finland is planning to prohibit the use of coal in energy production by the end of 2030, Finnish daily Helsingin Sanomat reported on Wednesday.

The Finnish government is drawing up a new energy and climate strategy, of which the main focus is the move to stop using coal in energy production.

Economy minister Olli Rehn, who is leading the preparation of the strategy, told the Helsingin Sanomat that the plan clearly outlines the end to coal use, even banning the fossil fuel by 2030.

According to Rehn, if the government's intentions are realized, Finland could be the first country in the world to prohibit the use of coal by law. The decision would help Finland build a global image as the homeland of clean technology.

Currently, similar decisions in other countries have only been made at the regional level, for example, in the state of Oregon in the United States and the province of Ontario in Canada.

He said the historical significance of the decision would be equivalent to the move to give women the right to vote in Finland in 1906.

Coal is the most common source of energy and one of the biggest sources of pollution in the world. The use of coal in energy production has continuously shrunk for 15 years in Finland. In 2015, only eight percent of the energy consumed in the country was produced by coal.

In addition, the strategy also aims to raise the share of renewable energy from the current level of 34.8 percent to 50 percent, to increase energy self-sufficiency from around 30 percent to 55 percent and to reduce the use of imported oil by half.

The government's new energy and climate strategy will be submitted to the parliament at the end of this month, said the daily. Endit