Helsinki, Feb 2 (IANS): The consumption of hard coal in Finland increased by 10 per cent in 2022 year-on-year, Statistics Finland said on Wednesday citing preliminary data.

The country used 2,015 thousand tonne of hard coal as a fuel for generating electricity and heat and in manufacturing. Hard coal consumption was the highest in the second quarter of 2022 -- 26 per cent more than a year earlier. In the fourth quarter of 2022, consumption was 13 per cent higher than in the same period a year earlier.

According to Statistics Finland, the main reason for the increase in hard coal consumption was the turmoil in the energy market caused by the conflict between Russia and Ukraine, which significantly increased energy prices.

The price of natural gas started to increase in Finland in the summer of 2021, and the end of pipeline gas imports from Russia at the end of May 2022 further increased energy prices, Xinhua news agency reported.

As a result, Finland had to use coal for power generation to make up for the loss of imported natural gas, Statistics Finland said.

At the end of December 2022, the country's coal stocks amounted to 1,493 thousand tonne, 23 per cent more than a year earlier.