Peat energy in Finland
Encyclopedia
Peat energy in Finland describes peat
Peat
Peat is an accumulation of partially decayed vegetation matter or histosol. Peat forms in wetland bogs, moors, muskegs, pocosins, mires, and peat swamp forests. Peat is harvested as an important source of fuel in certain parts of the world...

 energy use in Finland. Peat has high global warming emissions and high environmental concerns. It may be compared to brown coal (lignite
Lignite
Lignite, often referred to as brown coal, or Rosebud coal by Northern Pacific Railroad,is a soft brown fuel with characteristics that put it somewhere between coal and peat...

) or worse than this lowest rank of coal
Coal
Coal is a combustible black or brownish-black sedimentary rock usually occurring in rock strata in layers or veins called coal beds or coal seams. The harder forms, such as anthracite coal, can be regarded as metamorphic rock because of later exposure to elevated temperature and pressure...

. Peat
Peat
Peat is an accumulation of partially decayed vegetation matter or histosol. Peat forms in wetland bogs, moors, muskegs, pocosins, mires, and peat swamp forests. Peat is harvested as an important source of fuel in certain parts of the world...

 is the most harmful energy source for global warming
Global warming
Global warming refers to the rising average temperature of Earth's atmosphere and oceans and its projected continuation. In the last 100 years, Earth's average surface temperature increased by about with about two thirds of the increase occurring over just the last three decades...

 in Finland. (Hard coal, which is more harmful, is only used as an emergency back-up source for energy, and not in every year.) According to IEA
International Energy Agency
The International Energy Agency is a Paris-based autonomous intergovernmental organization established in the framework of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development in 1974 in the wake of the 1973 oil crisis...

 the Finnish subsidies for peat in 2007-20010 undermined the goal to reduce CO2 emissions and counteracted other environmental policies and The European Union emissions trading scheme.

Energy use

Peat energy
Year Production
GWh
Consumption
GWh
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
2008 22,627
2009 19,929
2010 25,984


According to the national energy statistics the energy use of peat grew in Finland in the 1980’s: 1975: 0.5 TWh and 1980 4,7 TWh. The share of peat energy was 19 TWh in year 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.

According to the U.S. Geological Survey Finland
Finland
Finland , officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of Northern Europe. It is bordered by Sweden in the west, Norway in the north and Russia in the east, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland.Around 5.4 million people reside...

 and Ireland
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...

 are the two main peat fuel users in the world. The regional shares of peat extraction in 2005 for gardening, agricultural and fuel use was : Finland 34 %, Ireland 20 %, Russia 8 %, Belarus 7 %, Canada 6 %, Ukraine 4 %, Sweden 5, Latvia 3 %, Estonia 3 %and USA 3 %. In the Americas peat was used only for soil improvement and in Finland 90 % as fuel.

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
EIA
EIA may refer to:*Edmonton International Airport*EIA Multiport, a North American NTSC SCART connector*Electronic Industries Alliance , a US trade organization...

 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.

Environmental accident

The accidental large water emission from peat collection area in 1981 in Lestijärvi
Lestijärvi
Lestijärvi is a municipality of Finland.It is located in the province of Western Finland and is part of the Central Ostrobothnia region. The municipality has a population of and covers an area of of which is water. The population density is ....

 was an environmental wakeup.

Vapo

Vapo Oy is the major peat producer in Finland. Vapo has ongoing 100 applications to new peat collection areas.

Vapo has ongoing 100 applications to new peat collection areas.

The environmental councellor Antti Ylitalo has written public appeals to protect endangered natural bogs (moss, moor). Vapo made a disqualification appeal of the environmental councellor Antti Ylitalo claiming that his statements formed the conflict of interests to the official evaluations of Vapo’s applications. Environmental councellor Antti Ylitalo felt that the disqualification appeal of Vapo addressed his freedom of speech.

According to VTT (2005) the major producers were Vapo Oy (78 %) sekä Turveruukki Oy (10%) followed by Fortum Power and Heat, Kuopion Energia, Alholmens Kraft and Vaskiluodon Voima.

In 1984 Vapo was 100 % owned by Finnish state. In 2005 Metsäliitto
Metsäliitto
Metsäliitto Group is a Finnish forest industry group present in about 30 countries. The Group's five business areas are Wood Supply, Wood Products, Pulp, Board and Paper,Tissue and Cooking Papers...

 owned 49.9 % of Vapo and sold its share to Suomen Energiavarat Oy in June 2009.

After the peat production Suo Oy , owned by Vapo , cultivates Reed canary grass
Reed canary grass
Reed canarygrass, Phalaris arundinacea, is a tall, perennial bunchgrass that commonly forms extensive single-species stands along the margins of lakes and streams and in wet open areas, with a wide distribution in Europe, Asia, northern Africa and North America.-Description:The stems can reach 2.5...

 in the bog. Suo owns 6500 ha agricultural land. Suo Oy received 673 000 € agricultural support in 2010. This was the fifth biggest agricultural support in Finland. The company received support for energy plant cultivation.

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. The payer may at least in some cases influence the publication of results.

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.

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.ref name= Lund>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 an other 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 year 2009. Finbio is claimed to have close relationships with “Peat Industry Association” and “Peat Producers Association” and lobbing peat for the members of parliament.

Satu Helynen was member of International Peat Society IPS board. Vapo is one of the owners of IPS. IPS is registered in Jyväskylä in the same address as Finbio. The Association promotes peat production. Activists include Donald Clarke (vice chairman) from Ireland
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...

 and Jaakko Silpola “Peat Industry Association” Finland.

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
Biogas
Biogas typically refers to a gas produced by the biological breakdown of organic matter in the absence of oxygen. Organic waste such as dead plant and animal material, animal dung, and kitchen waste can be converted into a gaseous fuel called biogas...

 and head of Ms. Helynen, did not know IPS but considered its membership of no relevant problem in regard to commitments.

New rules

In August 2010 VTT published new principles of its employees freedom to the public statements.
According to administration law professor of Helsinki University Olli Mäenpää': the new principles of VTT are as in conflict with Finnish constitutional freedom to express ones opinions.

The new VTT rules deny to give 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 be only 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 practise, VTT and some other employers including Sanoma Oy (Helsingin Sanomat, trolling I hope) have at least given outsiders the impressions of willingness to restrict this freedom included in the human rights declaration of the United Nations.

It makes your hair stand on end, said the professor Mäenpää(administration law professor of Helsinki University). In the 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 of questioning of facts and assumptions and the evaluation of report argumentations are cornerstones of the scientific discoveries, innovative ideas and sustainable development of society including its politics. The freedom of expression is a cornerstone of democracy and a cornerstone of the international human rights declarations.

Definition

According to the Finnish Ministry of Trade and Industry (KTM) peat is determined in Finland as "slowly renewable biomass fuel". 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
Oulu
Oulu is a city and municipality of inhabitants in the region of Northern Ostrobothnia, in Finland. It is the most populous city in Northern Finland and the sixth most populous city in the country. It is one of the northernmost larger cities in the world....

), Mr. Tapio Lindholm (Helsinki
Helsinki
Helsinki is the capital and largest city in Finland. It is in the region of Uusimaa, located in southern Finland, on the shore of the Gulf of Finland, an arm of the Baltic Sea. The population of the city of Helsinki is , making it by far the most populous municipality in Finland. Helsinki is...

) and Mr. Heikki Simola (Joensuu
Joensuu
Joensuu is a city and municipality in North Karelia in eastern Finland. It is located in the province of Eastern Finland and is part of North Karelia region. It was founded in 1848...

) 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.

Professor Atte Korhola University of Helsinki
University of Helsinki
The University of Helsinki is a university located in Helsinki, Finland since 1829, but was founded in the city of Turku in 1640 as The Royal Academy of Turku, at that time part of the Swedish Empire. It is the oldest and largest university in Finland with the widest range of disciplines available...

 is married to Eija-Riitta Korhola
Eija-Riitta Korhola
Eija-Riitta Korhola is a Finnish politician andMember of the European Parliamentwith the National Coalition Party,part of the European People's Party and sits on...

, conservative member of parliament (Kokoomus) and Member of the European Parliament
Member of the European Parliament
A Member of the European Parliament is a person who has been elected to the European Parliament. The name of MEPs differ in different languages, with terms such as europarliamentarian or eurodeputy being common in Romance language-speaking areas.When the European Parliament was first established,...

 since 2004. Ms. Eija-Riitta Korhola received campaign financing from the nuclear power industry in 2004 for the European Parliament election, 2004 (Finland)
European Parliament election, 2004 (Finland)
The European Parliament election of 2004 in Finland was the election of MEP representing Finland constituency for the 2004-2009 term of the European Parliament. It was part of the wider 2004 European election. The vote took place on June 13...

 campaign. Many Finnish nuclear power companies are also peat industry companies.

International

The United Nations Environment and Sustainable Development World Commission Finland expressed in 1989 that Finland should not increase peat production in the 1990s based on its global warming emissions. Finland should discontinue promoting peat energy use and the draining of peat bogs abroad, for example in Indonesia
Indonesia
Indonesia , officially the Republic of Indonesia , is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania. Indonesia is an archipelago comprising approximately 13,000 islands. It has 33 provinces with over 238 million people, and is the world's fourth most populous country. Indonesia is a republic, with an...

, Brunei
Brunei
Brunei , officially the State of Brunei Darussalam or the Nation of Brunei, the Abode of Peace , is a sovereign state located on the north coast of the island of Borneo, in Southeast Asia...

 and Uganda
Uganda
Uganda , officially the Republic of Uganda, is a landlocked country in East Africa. Uganda is also known as the "Pearl of Africa". It is bordered on the east by Kenya, on the north by South Sudan, on the west by the Democratic Republic of the Congo, on the southwest by Rwanda, and on the south by...

.

Global warming

Peat
Peat
Peat is an accumulation of partially decayed vegetation matter or histosol. Peat forms in wetland bogs, moors, muskegs, pocosins, mires, and peat swamp forests. Peat is harvested as an important source of fuel in certain parts of the world...

 and hard coal are the most harmful energy sources for global warming
Global warming
Global warming refers to the rising average temperature of Earth's atmosphere and oceans and its projected continuation. In the last 100 years, Earth's average surface temperature increased by about with about two thirds of the increase occurring over just the last three decades...

 in Finland. According to VTT studies peat is often the most harmful one.
The share of coal and peat of the annual climate emissions (million t CO2 and %)
Year Bio
m t CO2
Fossil
m t CO2
Coal
m t CO2
Peat
m t CO2
Coal
%
Peat
%
Coal and peat
total %
1990 19.3 53.1 12.0 5.6 22.6 10.5 33.1
2000 29.4 53.2 9.2 6.5 17.3 12.2 29.5
2004 32.3 64.3 15.8 9.3 24.6 14.5 39.0
2005 30.0 52.8 7.6 7.2 14.4 13.6 28.0
2006 33.9 64.1 15.4 9.8 24.0 15.3 39.3

Carbon storage

The storage of carbon in Finland is: bogs 6000 million tonnes, forest soil 1300 million tonnes and trees 800 million tonnes. According to senior lecturer Heikki Simola (University of East Finland) the carbon load from the ditches of bogs is 6000 tonnes pro person annually. In the south of Finland the majority of swamps have been ditched for the forest production. Kyoto protocol do not consider emissions from nature and the emissions from the land use changes.

Wildlife and biodiversity

25 % of Finnish plants grow on bogs and 1/3 of Finnish birds live at some stage around the bog areas. Biologically there are 60-70 types of bogs. The Finnish language distinguish the differences: ”letto, neva, räme, korpi, palsa”. More than half of the Finnish bog area had been drained in 2008. Peat collection is the most violent attack for the wild nature. In peat collection bog is drained and peat layer is collected for several meters. Forest is often planted in the area after the peat collection. Regeneration is possible, but the complete regeneration of the bog will take tens of thousands of years. In the USA it was calculated in 2002 (Science 297 950 2002) that wetlands are economically more valuable than agricultural fields. The increase of bog biodiversity support from $6.5 mrd to $45 mrd can give $4400–5200 mrd. economical benefit (in the world).

New investments

Peat is the most popular energy source in Finland for new energy investments 2005-2015. The new energy plants in Finland starting 2005-2015 have as energy source: peat 36 % and hard coal 11 %: combined: 47 %. The major carbon dioxide
Carbon dioxide
Carbon dioxide is a naturally occurring chemical compound composed of two oxygen atoms covalently bonded to a single carbon atom...

 emitting peat plants during 2005-15 are/will be (CO2 kt): PVO
Pohjolan Voima
Pohjolan Voima Oy is the second biggest Finnish energy company, which owns hydropower and thermal power plants . Pohjolan Voima is a founder and main shareholder of the Olkiluoto Nuclear Power Plant operator Teollisuuden Voima Oy...

 2700 kt, Jyväskylän Energia 561 kt, Etelä-Pohjanmaan Voima Oy (EPV Energia) 374 kt, Kuopion Energia 186 kt, UPM Kymmene 135 kt and Vapo 69 kt. EPV Energy is partner in TVO
TVO
TVO is an abbreviation with several different significations:*Televisora de Oriente, a Venezuelan TV station*Teollisuuden Voima, a Finnish nuclear power company*Total Value of Ownership, an evaluation method*TVOntario, a Canadian TV station...

 nuclear plants and Jyväskylän and Kuopion Energia partners in Fennovoima
Fennovoima
Fennovoima Ltd is a Finnish nuclear power company owned by E.ON and a consortium of Finnish power and industrial companies. E.ON Kärnkraft Finland owns 34% of Fennovoima and Voimaosakeyhtiö SF owns 66%. Voimaosakeyhtiö SF has 69 shareholders....

 nuclear plants in Finland.

According to IEA country report the Finnish subsidies for peat undermine the goal to reduce CO2 emissions and counteracts other environmental policies and The European Union emissions trading scheme. IEA recommends to adhere to the timetable to phase out the peat subsidies in 2010. “To encourage sustained production of peat in the face of negative incentives from the European Union’s emissions trading scheme for greenhouse gases, Finland has put in place a premium tariff scheme to subsidise peat. The premium tariff is designed to directly counter the effect of the European Union’s emissions trading scheme.”
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