Finland already gets more than 88% of its electricity from low-carbon sources—a major achievement. Over the last 12 months, from November 2025 to October 2026, nuclear supplied about 36% of electricity consumption, wind about 25%, hydropower 15%, biofuels 11% and solar just over 1%. Fossil fuels supplied only about 4%, including roughly 1.6% from gas and 1.5% from coal, while net imports accounted for about 7%. The next challenge is to extend this clean-electricity success to transport, heating and industry through electrification, which will require much more electricity.

Is Electricity Growing in Finland?

Finland’s electricity picture shows encouraging clean generation growth, but total consumption remains well below its historical peak. The latest 2026 electricity consumption was about 15,700 kWh per person, compared with the record of about 17,800 kWh in 2006—a shortfall of roughly 2,100 kWh per person, or 12%. Low-carbon electricity generation, however, reached a new high of about 13,900 kWh per person, exceeding the previous record set in 2025 by around 390 kWh, or 3%. This clean generation growth is worth celebrating, but the gap below peak consumption underscores the need for further expansion to support electrification and growing demand.

Suggestions

Finland can build on its strengths by expanding nuclear and wind electricity generation, both of which already supply substantial amounts of clean electricity. Increasing output from existing nuclear facilities where feasible, alongside building additional nuclear capacity, would strengthen its low-carbon supply. Further wind development would complement that expansion, while solar could make a growing contribution from its currently small base. Investment in electricity grids, storage and flexible consumption would help these sources serve greater demand from industry, electric transport, heating and AI infrastructure, while reducing reliance on fossil fuels and their climate and air-pollution impacts.

History

Finland’s low-carbon electricity history features major nuclear advances, fluctuating hydropower output and a recent surge in wind. In 1981, nuclear generation rose by 7.4 TWh and hydropower by 4 TWh. Biofuel generation increased by 5.2 TWh in 1990, while hydropower gained 2.3 TWh in 1991 and 2.8 TWh in 1998. During the 2000s, hydropower fluctuated considerably: gains of 5.5 TWh in 2004 and almost 3 TWh in both 2007 and 2008 contrasted with declines in 2002, 2006 and, most sharply, 2009, when output fell by 4.4 TWh. Similar swings continued in the 2010s, with a 4.4 TWh increase in 2012, a 4 TWh decrease in 2013 and a 3.4 TWh recovery in 2015. In 2020, hydropower increased by 3.2 TWh while biofuel generation fell by 2.7 TWh. More recently, wind added 3.6 TWh in 2022, 2.9 TWh in 2023 and 5.4 TWh in 2024, alongside an exceptional 8.5 TWh increase in nuclear generation in 2023—strong progress toward a larger clean electricity supply.

Electricity Imports and Exports

Balance of Trade

* 12M = Last 12 months (Nov 2025 – Oct 2026) — a rolling 12-month period, not a calendar year.