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Finland’s Energy Gamble: Last Coal-Fired Power Plant Shuts Down

Finland is pulling the plug on coal early, as Tuesday's power plant closure puts the country on the verge of a full phase-out, four years ahead of schedule.

Finland is shutting down for good its last remaining coal-fired power and heat plant in Salmisaari, southwestern Helsinki.

The move fits right in with the country’s self-inflicted and costly cutting emissions narrative.

“A clean transition does not come cheaply,” Olli Sirkka, CEO of Helsinki energy group Helen, which owns the Salmisaari plant, told Reuters.

To replace the annual production 175 MW of power and 300 MW of heat by the plant in Salmisaari, Helen will have to rely on electricity, waste heat and heat pumps, said the company.

It may present quite a challenge, considering that Helsinki's heating needs alone swallow up 20% of the country's total power production.

Finland has been a member of the Powering Past Coal Alliance (PPCA), a group of countries pushing for a transition away from coal power generation, since its inception in 2017.