Vapo warns customers of peat shortage

To make things worse, the previous production season was also poor. In spring, only just over 2 million cubic metres of existing stocks remained. The situation is basically the same throughout the country for both milled fuel peat, sod peat and environmental peat.

Vapo has begun to contact contract customers so that they can prepare for these exceptional circumstances as early as possible. The definitive quantities to be delivered to customers, the quality, delivery prices and how exceptional transport costs will be shared out etc. will be finalized in negotiations with customers once the total amount of peat available for sale is known.

Vapo altered its contractors’ production conditions back in mid-July so that as much peat as possible could be got into the stacks in the remainder of the season. Contractors will also be paid the full price for producing peat that is moister than usual, and an additional payment will be made for premium-quality peat.

Rainfall up to three times the normal amount

In normal years production is concentrated in the dry early summer, when the relative humidity in the air is lowest. Average statistics show that around half of the season’s production is in the stacks by midsummer. This year just under 15% of the target for the season had been mined by midsummer. In June-July the rainfall in many parts of Finland was as much as two or three times that of a normal summer. A typical feature this summer is that rain fronts have regularly moved across the whole country. There have not been long, continuous spells of dry weather anywhere in Finland, so the production situation does not differ radically in different parts of the country.

Production has been hampered by the fact that Vapo has very few new production areas, which return to production after rain much more quickly than old, low-lying peatlands.

For further information please contact:
– Ahti Martikainen, Director, Communications and Public Affairs, tel. +358 40 680 4723