Energy account and energy balance, 1998-1999

However, production of crude oil, which is clearly the largest primary energy bearer, at 6 026 petajoules (PJ) in 1999, showed a slight decline of 0.4 per cent. The figures for 1998 are final, whereas the figures for 1999 are preliminary.

In addition to an increase in 1999 in the production of primary energy bearers, that is, energy goods that are not refined, production of derived energy bearers was 3.9 per cent higher than in 1998. Total production of derived energy bearers was 1 141 PJ in 1999. Production of refined petroleum products and electricity increased by 3.5 per cent and 4.8 per cent, respectively. These two energy bearers represent most of this production. Electricity is treated as a derived energy bearer in the statistics, whereas waterfall energy is the primary energy source. In 1999 121 832 GWh was produced in hydropower stations, which corresponds to 439 PJ. Total electric energy production was 122 659 GWh, or 442 PJ. Relatively large water flows into the reservoirs contributed to the increase in electric energy production of 4.8 per cent.

Higher gas exports

In all, 7 972 PJ of energy were exported in 1999, an increase of 0.7 per cent over the previous year, which applies to total exports of all energy bearers. Imports were unchanged at 282 PJ, so that net exports were 7 690 PJ. Net exports of crude oil were 5 347 PJ in 1999. Even though this was a decline of 2.3 per cent from 1998, net exports of natural gas increased by 9 per cent to 1 883 PJ. For the first time since 1995 there were net exports of electric energy. Net exports of electric energy were 1 810 GWh, or 7 PJ.

A slight increase in energy consumption

In 1999 net domestic consumption of energy was 820 PJ, which is 0.3 per cent more than in 1998. While there was a decline of 2.8 per cent for manufacturing and mining and quarrying, there was an increase in energy consumption for transport of 5.9 per cent. In 1999 energy consumption for these two sectors was 316 and 201 PJ, respectively. The moderate increase in energy consumption in 1999 must be seen in connection with the milder weather that year.

Consumption of utilised energy was reduced by 0.8 per cent in 1999. This is due to a certain changeover to energy bearers with lower thermal efficiency. For example, net consumption of electricity was reduced by 1.2 per cent in 1999, whereas net consumption of petroleum products increased by 3 per cent, according to preliminary figures. The decline in utilised energy relative to supplied energy implies an estimated increase in energy loss among consumers from 193 PJ in 1998 to 201 PJ in 1999.