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Paper short abstract:

In my paper, I examine the importance and socio-technical consequences of energy imported from Russia to Finland from the oil crises of the 1970s, leading to increased imports of fossil fuels and electricity from the east, to the energy crisis of 2022, culminating in decoupling from Russian energy.

Paper long abstract:

In my paper, I examine the importance and socio-technical consequences of energy imported from Russia to Finland from the oil crises of the 1970s, leading to increased imports of fossil fuels and electricity from the east, to the energy crisis of 2022, culminating in decoupling from Russian energy. The response of energy policy makers to the oil crises was to diversify the energy system, which was sought by increasing the use of domestic fuels (peat, forest energy), supporting nuclear power construction, and increasing the imports of relatively inexpensive Soviet oil, natural gas, and electricity. The reliance on the energy imports from the east continued after the collapse of the Soviet Union and was tied to long-term contracts. In 2021, a year before the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the share of energy imported from Russia (oil, coal, natural gas, fuelwood, electricity) accounted for 34 per cent of total energy consumption in Finland. The questions arising from this trajectory are as follows: What kind of socio-technical system did increasing reliance on Soviet and Russian energy imports create? What factors were emphasized in relying on energy imports from the Soviet Union and Russia over a long period of time? Did the paradigm and line of reasoning behind policies based on energy imports from the east change as the world around us changed? Methodologically, my research is based on historical analysis, and the sources I employ include historical statistics, committee reports, minutes of committee meetings, and media material (newspapers, television).