Guest pen The transition to fossil-free energy is also a security policy

European the security situation has deteriorated in an instant. It will also have a significant impact on Finland’s and Europe’s energy systems, which are highly dependent on oil, gas and electricity supplied by Russia.

Energy security is an increasingly important part of national security. It includes the security of supply of fuels and other materials essential for energy production, the functionality and flexibility of systems in the event of disruption, the diversity of energy sources and self-sufficiency.

The most common talk has been about security of supply – that is, that Finland has sufficient fuels for electricity and heat production even in crisis situations – and about securing the functioning of electricity networks.

Energy sector and the energy policy that guides it has traditionally been kept separate from security and defense policy in Finland. The Ministers for Security and Foreign Policy are not part of the Ministerial Working Group on Climate and Energy Policy. Energy policy decisions have been made using market logic.

In Estonia, the opposite has been the case. For security policy reasons, the country has disengaged from energy imported from Russia, initially with the help of a burning stone, but increasingly also with renewable energy and electricity transmission solutions. Even in Finland, energy can no longer be handled separately from the security of Finland and Europe.

Fossil-free energy is decentralizing the world’s energy market, reducing vulnerability to crisis and improving national security, especially in countries such as Finland, which are dependent on fossil fuel imports. Many politicians have already called for an acceleration of the energy transition based on renewable energy so that we can substantially reduce our dependence on Russia.

However, there are also new types of security risks associated with energy transfer, such as dependence on critical materials for renewable energy. Although the energy transition does not relieve us of geopolitical risks, a more decentralized system based on renewable energy will have a stronger resilience to disturbances caused by the weather or, for example, military attacks.

Energy transfer preparing for new risks requires a redefinition of energy security and security of supply in a rapidly changing situation.

We are making the fastest impact by reducing energy consumption and utilizing smart consumption flexibility. We can reduce the use of fossil fuels and reduce electricity consumption at times when there is not enough wind or hydropower available on the market.

Energy companies need to develop consumption flexibility. We can also make use of domestic bioenergy to the extent that it does not threaten the diversity of our forests or carbon sinks. Permanent return of peat as an important fuel is not a good solution for overall safety.

In Finland The energy transition that is already underway will increase the amount of wind power and strengthen the electricity networks between northern and southern Finland and Finland and Sweden. In addition to the deployment of smart grids, energy consumption must also be reduced.

In the future, the energy transfer must be examined more extensively in co-operation with the Finnish Defense Forces. The national defense relies heavily on fossil fuels, but the Defense Forces’ own climate and energy program has already increased the energy efficiency of the defense. In order to assess the risks of energy production and consumption, the defense administration should be more closely involved in the preparation of energy policy.

A recent report by the International Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) clearly shows that climate change is still the biggest security risk on our planet. Food and water security require combating climate change. This is another reason why fossil energy must be abandoned. Accelerating the energy transition through energy efficiency, renewable energy and electrification will in turn increase Finland’s overall security.

Paula Kivimaa

The author is a research professor at the Finnish Environment Institute.

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