Finland's security-of-supply fee rises in April 2026

Most expats living in Finland have never noticed the huoltovarmuusmaksu on their electricity bill. It sits quietly in the transfer invoice, bundled into the electricity tax line, and for over a decade it amounted to a fraction of a cent per kilowatt-hour. From 1 April 2026 that changed: the fee rose from 0.013 to 0.085 cent/kWh, roughly a six-fold increase. The euro impact on a typical household is modest -- a few euros to at most €20 a year -- but the mechanism behind the fee is worth understanding.

This article explains what the security-of-supply fee is, who collects it, where the money goes, and why the Finnish government raised it now after more than ten years at the same rate.

What is the huoltovarmuusmaksu and who collects it?

The huoltovarmuusmaksu (literally: security-of-supply fee) is a component of Finland's electricity tax. Finnish electricity tax has two parts: the excise duty on electricity (energiavero / valmistevero) and the security-of-supply fee. Both appear on the network transfer invoice, not the electricity sales invoice. Your grid operator collects them together and remits them to the state.

The excise duty flows into the general state budget. The security-of-supply fee is ring-fenced: it goes directly to the National Emergency Supply Agency (NESA / Huoltovarmuuskeskus) reserve fund. Energiavirasto explains the full structure of electricity invoicing in plain terms on its website.

NESA uses the fund to maintain strategic stockpiles of fuel, pharmaceuticals, and food, as well as technical spare parts for critical infrastructure. The exact contents of the reserves aren't published -- that's deliberate, for security reasons. As of the 2023 annual accounts, NESA's fund held a balance of €2.1 billion.

Why did the fee rise in April 2026?

The short answer: the fund had been running a slight deficit for several years, and the old rate -- set in 2012 -- was no longer sufficient to cover operating costs and growing preparedness needs.

The longer version: fuel-based revenues have been falling as Finland reduces fossil energy consumption. At the same time, the scope of preparedness planning has expanded considerably since Russia's invasion of Ukraine. The government submitted proposal GP 194/2025 to parliament, which was enacted on 30 March 2026. Energiavirasto announced the new rate of 0.085 cent/kWh effective 1 April 2026. The increase is expected to raise approximately €56 million in additional annual revenue, bringing total annual income for the fund to roughly €92 million.

Here's how the electricity tax breaks down from 1 April 2026 (tax class I, households):

Component	Before 1 Apr 2026	From 1 Apr 2026
Electricity excise duty (class I)	2.8144 cent/kWh	2.8144 cent/kWh
Security-of-supply fee	0.013 cent/kWh	0.085 cent/kWh
Electricity tax total	2.8274 cent/kWh	2.8994 cent/kWh

Sources: Caruna (1 April 2026 notice); Energiavirasto. Figures exclude VAT. Finnish VAT at 25.5% is added on the transfer invoice.

A common question: is the fee the same for everyone?

Yes. The security-of-supply fee is a state-levied tax, not a charge set by your grid operator. It applies uniformly to all electricity users in Finland. It doesn't matter which distribution network you're on -- Caruna, Elenia, Fortum Distribution, or a local cooperative. The rate is the same.

"Our local grid company (Aanekosken Energia) has introduced a 'Huoltovarmuusmaksu' on the transfer invoice! Why isn't the electricity price going down even though it should?"

Suomi24, electricity section (thread: Huoltovarmuusmaksu on tullut Sahkon siirtoon)

The confusion is understandable: the fee appears on the grid operator's bill, so it looks like the operator is charging extra. It isn't. The operator simply acts as the collection agent for a national tax.

Worked example: apartment vs. house

The table below shows the annual impact of the fee increase for three typical households.

Household type	Annual consumption	Old fee/year	New fee/year	Increase/year
Apartment (2 people)	2,000 kWh	€0.26	€1.70	+€1.44
Detached house, no electric heating	5,000 kWh	€0.65	€4.25	+€3.60
Detached house, electric heating	18,000 kWh	€2.34	€15.30	+€12.96

Figures exclude VAT (25.5%). Consumption estimates: apartments typically 2,000 kWh/year, ordinary detached houses around 5,000 kWh/year of electricity, electrically heated houses 15,000-20,000 kWh/year. Source: Savon Voima (2026 notice).

An electrically heated house pays at most around €13-16 more per year before VAT, roughly €16-20 including VAT. That's the ceiling for households.

Can you opt out or appeal the fee?

No. The fee is mandatory for all electricity users in Finland. Grid operators collect it automatically. There's no exemption for households or small businesses. The only partial exceptions relate to certain industrial users in tax class II, who pay a lower electricity excise rate -- but even they pay the security-of-supply fee.

"Is this fee mandatory or can you somehow avoid it? Someone in a Murobbs thread said you don't have to pay."

Murobbs, energy discussion thread (2025)

The claim circulating on Finnish forums is wrong. There's no legal route to avoid the fee as a household consumer.

The counterintuitive part: the smallest line protects against the biggest risk

Here's the thing most people miss. The security-of-supply fee is the smallest item on your electricity bill -- fractions of a cent per kWh -- but the infrastructure it funds is what prevented a serious supply crisis when Russia stopped gas deliveries to Finland in spring 2022. Finland had stored fuel and maintained backup arrangements that allowed energy companies to substitute other fuels without significant capacity shortfalls. That resilience doesn't happen by itself. It's built over years and financed partly through this fee.

In other words: you'll pay €3-16 more per year depending on your consumption. That's the premium for an insurance policy against the scenario where a supply disruption pushes spot prices to 500-1000 cent/kWh -- as happened in the worst moments in European energy markets during winter 2021-2022. The ratio is good. This is one of the few lines on a Finnish electricity bill I'd defend without hesitation.

How does the fee appear on your bill?

Not all grid operators show it as a separate line. Some bundle it into the electricity tax row. Turku Energia notes in its FAQ that the electricity tax used to be shown as a single combined figure but is now itemised. Caruna, one of Finland's largest grid operators, announced that from 1 April 2026 its transfer invoices would reflect the updated security-of-supply fee rate.

To check your own bill: look for a row labelled "electricity tax" (sähkövero) or "excise duty + security-of-supply fee" (energiavero + huoltovarmuusmaksu) on your transfer invoice. You're entitled to see exactly what you're paying and why.

Sources

1. Energiavirasto: Sahkon huoltovarmuusmaksu nousee 1.4.2026 (Tier A)
2. Energiavirasto: How your electricity bill is made up (Tier A)
3. NESA / Huoltovarmuuskeskus: Fund balance and revenues 2023 (Tier A)
4. Finnish Government: Proposal to amend the security-of-supply fee -- GP 194/2025 (Tier A)
5. Caruna: Security-of-supply component raises electricity tax from 1.4.2026 (Tier B)
6. Savon Voima: Security-of-supply fee rises -- household annual impact (Tier B)
7. Turku Energia: What are the excise duty and security-of-supply fee on the bill? (Tier B)
8. Finlex: GP 194/2025 -- Government proposal to amend electricity and fuel tax legislation (Tier A)