Finland’s capital Helsinki has ceased operations at its last coal-fired power plant, Salmisaari.
Abolishing the use of coal is a significant milestone for Helsinki on its journey towards carbon neutrality. The closure of the power plant will reduce Helsinki’s carbon dioxide emissions by 30% compared to the previous year, and it practically also marks the end of coal burning in Finland as a whole.
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Helsinki’s climate goal is to achieve carbon neutrality by 2030, 20 years ahead of the EU’s target.
“The closing of the coal-fired energy plants is an important and historical change for Helsinki, Finland and, ultimately, the whole planet,” Helsinki Mayor Juhana Vartiainen said.
“Cities the world over have assumed a leading role in the fight against climate change. Helsinki wants to be a bold forerunner, on both a national and global level. The fact that we have been able to resolutely move forward with our plans to shut down coal-fired power plants in our city is a strong indicator of our determinedness in this area.”
The abolishment of coal has happened quickly in Helsinki, as in 2022, coal still accounted for 64% of Helen’s district heat production. Helsinki has now closed both the Hanasaari and Salmisaari coal power plants within two years, which will reduce the city’s CO2 emissions by an impressive 43%. At the national level, the closing of the power plants in Helsinki will reduce the total carbon dioxide emissions of Finland by 5%.
Energy production is no longer be based on fossil fuels in Helsinki. Helen’s investments in carbon-neutral production, such as Europe’s largest electric boiler plant and the world’s largest heat pump, have enabled Helen to move away from coal completely.
Going forward, the Finnish capital will transition into electrified energy production based on heat pumps utilising waste and environmental heat, electric boilers, energy storage and sustainably produced bioenergy. Helen produces electricity mainly from wind, nuclear, hydro and solar power.
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As electricity production becomes more diversified, one of the most talked about clean energy solutions of the future is hydrogen. Helsinki is also investing heavily in this area.
One interesting pilot project for green hydrogen production is Helen’s 3H2—Helsinki Hydrogen Hub. The goal is to start hydrogen production in a new facility in 2026.
