Meanwhile, weak winds and chilly temperatures will prompt poor conditions for electricity production this week, according to the Finnish Meteorological Institute.
For the fifth month in a row, people across Finland again reduced their electricity consumption in December, according to national grid operator Fingrid’s preliminary figures.
People have been encouraged to save electricity and schedule its use during non-peak hours, due to concerns about possible energy shortfalls over the winter.
According to Fingrid’s preliminary figures, people in Finland cut back their electricity consumption by around 10 percent in December, compared to the same month in 2021.
The energy savings trend started in August, when electricity customers cut back on electricity consumption by around three percent, year-on year. Then, electricity use was further reduced by around seven percent in September and October. In November electricity consumption was cut by around nine percent, compared to 2021.
Fingrid said the savings trend was a good starting point for the colder month of January, when electricity supplies could be tight during periods of severe cold weather.
FMI: Poor electricity production conditions
An expected cold weather snap with little wind this week will not create good conditions for the country’s energy situation, according to the Finnish Meteorological Institute (FMI).
Temperatures are expected to drop to around -20 degrees Celsius in many parts of the country later in the week, and could even reach -25 degrees in southern Ostrobothnia.
This week’s poor conditions for electricity generation will mainly be prompted by weak winds in Ostrobothnia, home to many of the country’s wind turbines, according to the FMI, which publishes energy weather forecasts twice a week.
However, electricity production conditions are expected to improve next week, when the high pressure system moves eastward, according to FMI meteorologist Iiris Viljamaa.
“We expect quite strong winds [next] Monday,” Viljamaa said.