Finland plans to ban coal by 2030

Finland’s Economy Minister Olli Rehn has announced plans to prohibit the use of coal in energy production by 2030 - possibly by means of a statutory prohibition.

In an interview with the local daily Helsingin Sanomat last week, the minister said the country’s energy and climate strategy currently under preparation recommends that the use of coal be stopped.

As reported by The Helsinki Times, Finland would become the first country in the world to resort to a statutory prohibition to stop the use of coal in energy production.

Coal is a particularly emissions-intensive source of energy, and countries around the world are seeking to reduce its use in electricity production. Statutory prohibitions, however, have only been adopted at the regional level, such as in Oregon, the United States, and Ontario, Canada.

In the interview with the daily, Rehn explained the prohibition would be comparable to the granting of voting rights to women. It would also allow the country to establish itself as the home country of cleantech, he envisions.

The Finnish government is slated to unveil its new strategy in March 2017.