Finland is one of the last countries in the world still burning peat. Peat has high global warming emissions and environmental concerns. It can be compared to brown coal (lignite) or even worse than this lowest rank of coal. Peat is associated with high greenhouse gas emissions and has been the subject of environmental concerns in Finland. According to IEA the Finnish subsidies for peat in 2007-2010 undermined the goal to reduce emissions and counteracted other environmental policies and The European Union emissions trading scheme.
Peat plays a notable role in Finland's energy system, representing 2.7% of total energy supply (TES) and 2.9% of electricity generation in 2021.
White peat is used in greenhouses and livestock farming.
Energy use In 2021 an estimated 2 million tonnes of peat was burnt in Finland.
Finland is set to receive over €465 million from the EU's Just Transition Fund (JTF), representing about 24% of its Cohesion Policy allocation for 2021-2027. This funding is intended to support Finland's objective of attaining climate neutrality by 2035 in a socially equitable manner. The JTF will focus its investments on 14 regions affected by the transition away from peat, aiming to halve peat-based energy consumption by 2030.
After Russia's invasion of Ukraine, the National Emergency Supply Agency established a contingency stockpile for peat, totaling approximately 20% of the peat consumption recorded in 2021.
Peat energyEnergy, Annual statistics 2006, Statistics Finland, Table 2.7 Energy peat production and consumptionFossil and renewable energy, TJ Statistics Finland, Preliminary 2007Energy, Annual statistics 2007, Table 2.7 (Turveteollisuusliitto ry, Suomen turvetuottajat ry ja Vapo Oy), Statistics Finland December 2007Energy, Annual statistics 2008, Table 2.7 February 2009 Year ProductionGWhConsumptionGWhShare of total Consumption 1990 18,950 15,522 1991 8,978 15,657 1992 18,945 15,353 1993 11,513 16,210 1994 25,344 18,522 1995 25,367 20,645 1996 25,000 23,544 1997 31,180 23,144 1998 5,304 22,110 1999 25,742 19,591 2000 12,663 17,203 2001 19,538 23,868 2002 25,471 24,930 2003 21,306 27,550 2004 10,429 24,667 2005 24,864 19,107 2006 36,773 26,000 2007 12,663 28,406 2008Fossiilinen ja uusiutuva energia Tilastokeskus, Statistics Finland 2011-03-29 22,627 2009 19,929 2010 25,984201123 7896,1201218 4324,8201316 0104,2201416 9784,5201516 1084,4201615 6494,1201714 9614,0201817 1884,5201915 7374,2202011 9253,4202110 6252,8202210 1862,82023*6 3791,7
According to the national energy statistics the energy use of peat grew in Finland in the 1980s: 1975: 0.5 TWh and 1980 4,7 TWh.Energian kokonaiskulutus energialähteittäin Tilastokeskus The share of peat energy was 19 TWh in 2005 and in the peak year 2007 28.4 TWh. In 2006 the peat energy provided 25.3 TWh which gave 6.2 TWh electricity, 6.1 TWh warming and 4.7 TWh industry heat.Sähkön ja lämmön tuotanto tuotantomuodoittain ja polttoaineittain Tilastokeskus
Environment
Finland's environmental administration has a new project studying water pollution from the peat collection areas. Local people have complained of water pollution. The new studies show 20-fold differences between samples. The EIA counts only the largest particles that are only about 10% of total. The heavy rain showers have been previously ignored. According to evaluations one rain shower could bring as much particles as the rest of the summer.Turpeennoston valumahaitat aliarvioitu, Ympäristöluvat perustuvat hyvin hatariin mittauksiin Suomen Luonto nro 3 (8.4.2011) Suomen Luonnonsuojeluliitto, http://www.suomenluonto.fi page 12
Environmental accident
The accidental large water emission from peat collection area in 1981 in Lestijärvi was an environmental wakeup.Esa Ruuskanen and Vapo: Suosta voimaa ja lämpöä, Turve Suomen energiapolitiikassa (Power and heat from peat, Peat in Finnish energy policy), Vapo 2010 page 131
Neova
VTT case 2010 VTT used to be a state financed research organization but today it gets a third of its funds from the state and two thirds from the companies. This may create conflicts of interest or the appearance thereof.
VTT principles for communication In the summer 2010, one researcher specialist from VTT expressed his/her critics about the reliability of the electricity market report for the parliament. VTT gave him/her a warning since according to VTT the statement was given in the name of VTT and she/he was not qualified for it. This special researcher claims that he acted privately and revealed in general the contradictions of the electricity market report.Oikeusasiamies tutkii VTT:n tutkijoiden painostusväitteet HS 22.9.2010 A9
VTT: Energy tax and scientific freedom The Finnish government ordered an energy evaluation report from VTT for energy tax reform which was published in 2010. VTT report studies the carbon tax for oil, gas, coal and peat. VTT did not give tax recommendations for peat based on its actual carbon load. The responsible director was Satu Helynen. The close relationships of Ms. Helynen and the peat industry associations was revealed.VTT:n painostuspuheet eivät yllätä professoria, VTT on tarkentanut työntekijöidensä julkisuusohjeita, HS 27.8.2010 A10
Satu Helynen denied a VTT scientist to write about peat in autumn 2010. According to the scientist the leaders of VTT tried to prevent them to express in public dissentient opinions about the peat energy tax. Helynen considered the writing onesided and demanded another perspective. The issue came public in August 2010 in a STT (Finnish News Service) interview, when a group of VTT scientists claimed anonyme VTT of pressure.
Satu Helynen and peat industry Satu Helynen was a member of Enas board during 2005-2009: a company owned by VTT and two peat energy companies: Vapo and Jyväskylän Energia. Satu Helynen was the chairman of Finbio ry Association until 2009. Finbio was claimed to cooperate with the “Association of Finnish Peat Industries“ and “Peat Producers Association” lobbying members of parliament for peat.VTT:n johtajalla turvekytkös, Ministeriölle energiaveroraportin laatineen tutkijan tausta arveluttaa, Teknologiajohtajan esimies kiistää alaisensa edustavan turvelobbareita, HS 9.9.2010 A3
Satu Helynen was a member of the executive board of the International Peat Society (IPS) 2008–2012. IPS is a global non-profit organisation for all interests related to peat and peatlands, having scientific and corporate members in 42 countries worldwide and promoting Wise Use of peatlands. The executive board of the IPS consists of both university and company directors and is elected by an annual assembly of national member associations. In Finland, Suoseura acts as national committee of IPS. In addition to approximately 400 individual members from universities and other organisation; their corporate members are VTT, Vapo, Turveruukki and the Bioenergy Association of Finland.VTT:n johtaja puolustaa jäsenyyttään turveyhdistyksessä, HS 10.9.2010 A5 Piia ElonenVTT:llä yhteys turvelobbareihin, Energiaselvityksen luotettavuudesta syntyi kohu HS 9.9.2010 A5
VTT does not publish or control any economic or board membership commitments of its scientists as at least the members of board of public companies have to do. In medicine publications and conferences the statements of commitments of scientists are normal. Mr. Kari Larjava, e.g. VTT expert in biogas and head of Ms. Helynen, did not know IPS but considered its membership of no relevant problem in regard to commitments.”Tukka nousi pystyyn”, Oikeusoppineet: VTT:n viestintäohje ristiriidassa perustuslain kanssa. Professori Mäenpään mukaan ”pimittämisohjeet rajoittavat sananvapautta, HS 10.9.2010 A5
New rules In August 2010 VTT published new principles of its employees' freedom to make public statements. According to Olli Mäenpää, Professor of Administration Law at Helsinki University, the new principles of VTT are in conflict with Finnish constitutional freedom to express one's opinions.
"The new VTT rules deny the right to make any private statements, verbal or written, without permission from the leadership of VTT in the line of activities of VTT. The permission for statements will only be allowed when there is no conflict." In order to guarantee the consistence of research and reliability of the content, the scientists should prevent all criticism of the content of VTT publications publicly after the publications. The ethical rules oblige the research organisation to prevent activities that will mislead the public.
"Finnish law guarantees everyone the freedom of expression as private persons that no organization or person is allowed to restrict. Democratic society has no need to restrict free communication." This freedom covers peaceful communication excluding agitation in crimes or mental troublemaking. In practice, VTT and some other employers including Sanoma Oy (Helsingin Sanomat) have given outsiders the impression of willingness to restrict this freedom included in the human rights declaration of the United Nations.
It "makes your hair stand on end", said Professor Mäenpää. In legal proceedings every employer tends to lose the case. "In practice the attempts to restrict the basic human rights will label these organizations with a negative reputation that is strongly disapproved in public." The ability to question facts and assumptions and the evaluation of report argumentations are cornerstones of scientific discoveries, innovative ideas and sustainable development of society including its politics. Freedom of expression is a cornerstone of democracy and a cornerstone of international human rights declarations.
Definition As of 2006, the Finnish Ministry of Trade and Industry (KTM) peat described peat as a "slowly renewable biomass fuel".“Renewable energy sources and peat” Internet pages updated in 10.3.2006 by the Ministry of Trade and Industry , Uusiutuvat energialähteet ja turve, KTM 10.3.2006 The definition is from the report: Patrick Crill (USA), Ken Hargreaves (UK) and Mr. Atte Korhola (FIN) Turpeen asema Suomen kasvihuonekaasutaseissa (2000) ordered by KTM. This report has been criticised by several scientists. For example, environment experts and university academics Mr. Raimo Heikkilä (Oulu), Mr. Tapio Lindholm (Helsinki) and Mr. Heikki Simola (Joensuu) wrote an opponent review in 2007. In short: The use of peat fuel releases carbon that was bound long before the industrial revolution. The renewal of peat layers in thousands of years is insignificant compared to the carbon emissions of the peat fuel in regard to the climate change. It is highly questionable to claim that the human created problem would be compensated by a natural process elsewhere. For the greenhouse gas inventories the natural peat lands are basically neutral since storage of carbon equals release of methane. The agricultural land use will never restore the carbon permanently in the ecosystem equal to the original peat layers. There is no difference in the burning of peat or coal in respect to the climate warming.Raimo Heikkilä, Tapio Lindholm, and Heikki Simola, Keskustelua: Turvetta suosiva energiapolitiikka perustuu kyseenalaiseen tutkimusraporttiin Tieteessä tapahtuu no 3 2007 In 1996, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) classified peat as a "solid fossil." Ten years later, they declined to do so again but also refused to classify it as biomass because its emissions are on par with fossil fuels.
Professor Atte Korhola University of Helsinki is married to Eija-Riitta Korhola, conservative member of parliament (Kokoomus) and Member of the European Parliament since 2004. Ms. Eija-Riitta Korhola received campaign financing from the nuclear power industry in 2004 for the 2004 European Parliament election in Finland campaign. Many Finnish nuclear power companies are also peat industry companies.Eija-Riitta Korhola sai vaalirahaa ydinvoimateollisuudelta Vihreä Lanka 28. September 2007
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