Natural gas use in Finland to decline due to changes in industry and heating
Gasgrid Finland, the company responsible for Finland's gas transmission network, has published an assessment of the future use of natural gas. Although natural gas is increasingly being used today as balancing power for electricity generation, the total consumption of imported fossil gas is not growing.
According to Gasgrid, the use of natural gas is declining, particularly in industrial processes and building heating. This trend is largely due to Finland's transition toward low-carbon energy solutions and improvements in energy efficiency.
In electricity generation, however, the role of natural gas has changed. It is used when needed as rapid balancing power when electricity demand increases or the production of renewable energy, such as wind power, fluctuates. This usage, however, does not increase the total consumption of natural gas, as reductions in other sectors compensate for the situation.
Finland's energy policy aims to phase out fossil fuels in the long term. The share of domestic biogas and other renewable energy sources is expected to grow in the coming years, which will further reduce reliance on imported gas.