In 2023, the Raahen steel plant of SSAB ranked as the largest producer of emissions among all Finnish plants participating in the EU emissions trading system. However, despite this ranking, the overall emissions from these facilities decreased by 19.2% compared to the previous year. According to the Energy Agency, Finnish facilities in the EU emissions trading system reduced their emissions by 19.2% last year compared to 2022.
Despite this reduction in overall emissions, SSAB’s Raahen steel plant saw an increase in carbon dioxide emissions from 3.6 million tons to 3.7 million tons last year. Meanwhile, Neste’s Porvoon oil refinery remained stable with emissions of 2.5 million tons of carbon dioxide and Helen’s Salmisaaren coal-fired power plant saw a decrease in emissions from 0.9 million tons to 0.7 million tons last year.
SSAB aims to transition its steel production in Raahe and Luleå, Sweden to be largely fossil-free by 2040 with an investment of around 4.5 million euros expected for Lulea. However, this decision has been disappointing for Finland economically as it may not significantly reduce emissions from the Raahen factory in the near future.
Neste plans to stop oil refining at its Porvoon refinery by mid-2030s and focus on producing low-carbon fuels and circular economy products instead. Helen’s Salmisaaran power plant had its coal phase-out schedule extended due to supply concerns caused by an energy crisis but still aims to reduce its carbon footprint over time through various initiatives like fuel switching and efficiency improvements.
According to data from the Energy Agency, natural gas consumption increased while peat and coal consumption decreased last year due to various factors such as market conditions and government policies aimed at reducing greenhouse gas emissions.
Renewable fuel consumption remained stable from the previous year due to increased wind power generation and decreased demand for diesel fuel.
Weather-related fluctuations in energy demand and production can also influence emission trends but overall energy consumption remained constant with increased nuclear power production and decreased net electricity imports.
In addition, various articles on topics like healthy eating plans, hypnosis, mountain biking, and sleep improvement appear mixed with the emissions data indicating that they were inserted accidentally into this article during editing or formatting processes.
Overall, while efforts are being made towards reducing greenhouse gas emissions from industrial facilities such as steel plants and oil refineries, there is still room for improvement when it comes to achieving significant reductions over a short period of time without negatively impacting economic growth or job creation opportunities for local communities involved in these industries.
