Wood in energy generation 2018

In 2018, heating and power plants consumed a total of 20.1 million solid cubic metres (38.6 terawatt-hours) of solid wood fuels, being the same as in the previous year and also more than ever before.

The consumption of forest industry by-products and wood residues decreased by 2% from the previous year to 11.5 million cubic metres. The consumption of bark remained unchanged at 7.7 million cubic metres, accounting for two thirds of the total consumption of by-products. A total of 2.6 million cubic metres (–8% from the previous year) of different types of sawdust and 1.1 million cubic metres (–9%) of industrial chips were burned. The consumption of wood pellets and briquettes decreased by 5% from the previous year to 0.2 million cubic metres, while that of recycled wood increased by 15% to 0.9 million cubic metres. Sawdust and industrial chips were also included in the significantly increased group of Other solid wood fuels, which partly explains the decrease in the consumption of these wood fuels. Heating and power plants were not always able to separate different wood fuel assortments from wood fuels procured in the form of different mixtures.

The consumption of forest chips turned to an increase, up by 3% from the previous year to 7.4 million cubic metres. The use of forest chips in combined heat and power production increased by 3% to 4.7 million cubic metres after a four-year decrease. In heat production, their use increased by 2% to 2.7 million cubic metres. Together with forest chips burned in small-scale housing (0.6 mill. m³), the total consumption of forest chips reached 8.0 million cubic metres. The consumption was at its highest in 2013, when it amounted to 8.7 million cubic metres.

In 2018, a total of 3.9 million cubic metres of small-sized trees were used as raw material for forest chips, being 3% less than in the year before. Instead, the use of logging residues increased by one fifth to 2.7 million cubic metres. The consumption of forest chips manufactured from stumps was 0.4 million cubic metres, being over one third lower than in the previous year. However, the use of large-sized timber increased by one sixth to 0.4 million cubic metres.

The consumption of solid wood fuels at heating and power plants was the highest in the Central Finland region. Forest industry by-products were burned the most in the South Karelia region, while forest chips were burned the most in the Uusimaa region.

Statistics for 2018 have been updated on 22nd November 2019