Fearing power outages, Finns are looking for ways to stay warm in the depths of winter
Author: Essi Lehto
HELSINKI (Reuters) – Finns are used to finding ways to stay warm, but skyrocketing energy prices and power outages this winter have prompted people in one of the world’s northernmost countries to collect firewood and renovate their homes to reduce electricity consumption.
Finland’s energy relations with neighboring Russia were disrupted by Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine ten months ago, when electricity and gas imports ended, while technical problems have limited the output of a new domestic nuclear power plant, triggering warnings of blackouts.
“Finland used to import a third of its energy from Russia and now we are close to zero,” said Riku Huttunen, Director General of Energy and Climate Policy at the Ministry of Economic Affairs.
“You could say that if we have minus 20 degrees (-4 Fahrenheit) in the south and possibly minus 30 degrees in the north, the risk of a power shortage is very close,” Huttunen told Reuters.
Considering the danger of falling into a harsh winter unprepared, Finns have been hoarding flashlights, heat pumps, timers, solar panels and of course firewood, which is plentiful, since forests cover 75% of the country.
“We were three, four months without time off,” said firewood producer Jari Saari and told how he constantly received calls from customers looking for stock.
– At one point, 400 people were waiting for us, I started to press that what if I had promised to do too much, Saari said.
Rising wood, transportation and heating costs have pushed up the price, and a cube of rough firewood now costs 120 euros ($128), compared to 85-90 euros before the crisis, he said.
Mika and Satu Kirjavainen live in an old wooden house outside Helsinki, where winter lasts about 100 days. The 54-year-old couple used nearly 1,600 kilowatt-hours of electricity in December, but when their utility company raised their rates twice, they found out they were using way too much.
Their 100-year-old cottage is now equipped with smart sockets, thick curtains that prevent heat from escaping, a new stove in the bedroom and two pipes that blow the heat from the fireplace to the rest of the home.
“If the temperature does not drop (further), our total consumption this month will be more than 200 kilowatt hours,” Satu Kirjavainen said.
(1 dollar = 0.9391 euros)
(Reporting by Essi Lehto, editing by Terje Solsvik & Simon Cameron-Moore)