Hydroelectric power

The plan demands radical expansion of renewable electricity production and that new projects are tested against environmental consequences and safety over their entire lifecycle. Resuming the paused environmental assessments with maximum environmental benefit therefore aligns with the plan, as does utilising regulating capacity in existing installations better. However, the demand's framing as a step while waiting for other power production has no support in the plan, which lowers confidence.

• environmental assessment of power projectsdecisive»behöver jämföras i miljökonsekvenser och säkerhet över hela sin« (party programme ↗)“should be compared in environmental consequences and safety over their entire”
• radical expansion of renewables»En radikal utbyggnad av den förnybara elproduktionen är avgörande« (party programme ↗)“A radical expansion of renewable electricity production is crucial”
• energy policy on renewable basis»strategi som bygger på förnybar el och låga klimatutsläpp. Nya projekt« (party programme ↗)“strategy based on renewable electricity and low greenhouse emissions. New projects”
• electricity as socio-economic infrastructure»investeringar och priser behöver utgå från samhällsekonomiska mål.« (party programme ↗)“investments and prices need to be based on socio-economic goals.”

The election manifesto holds that hydropower should be protected and that electricity production should be expanded in all forms, which bears the requirement for increased regulatory capacity through storage, pump power and capacity increases. The manifesto also wants to tear down bureaucratic barriers and speed up slow permission processes, which speaks to the potential for the paused environmental assessments to be resumed in a way that provides both environmental benefit and electricity. The party programme simultaneously requires that biological diversity is protected.

• protect hydropowerdecisive»Vi behöver också värna vattenkraften och se till att solpanelerna blir fler, bland annat på offentliga och kommersiella byggnader.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“We also need to protect hydropower and ensure that solar panels become more common, including on public and commercial buildings.”
• faster permission processes»Riv de byråkratiska hindren för mer el. Långsamma tillståndsprocesser ska snabbas på.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Tear down the bureaucratic barriers for more electricity. Slow permission processes must be speeded up.”
• expanded electricity production»Bygg ut elproduktionen av alla slag.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Expand electricity production of all kinds.”
• protection of biological diversity»biologiska mångfalden måste skyddas.« (party programme ↗)“Biological diversity must be protected.”

The plan wants to promote renovation and efficiency improvement of existing hydroelectric power plants while increased environmental requirements ensure fish migration — that is, precisely conducting environmental assessments and increasing efficiency in existing facilities. Resuming paused assessments with maximum environmental benefit follows directly from this. The plan, however, sees hydroelectric power as fully developed, which argues against mapping the potential of new watercourses.

• efficiency improvement of existing hydroelectric powerdecisive»främja ombyggnad och effektivisering av befintliga« (party programme ↗)“promote renovation and efficiency improvement of existing”
• environmental requirements in re-assessment»säkrar fiskens möjlighet till vandring.« (party programme ↗)“ensures fish's ability to migrate.”
• no new hydroelectric power expansion»Vattenkraften är enligt vårt sätt att se det färdigut« (party programme ↗)“Hydroelectric power is, in our view, fully developed”

The stance rests on the quoted commitment in the party's own documents; the actual vote deviated. Click the quote to verify it in the document.

The plan's crucial energy commitment is that at least 50 TWh of emissions-free electricity must begin to be built during the mandate period and that permit times for green investments must be halved. Resuming the paused environmental assessments and increasing hydropower's regulation capacity through efficiency increases and storage serve exactly that goal. The plan also wants to protect lakes and watercourses, which aligns with the requirement for maximum environmental benefit in the assessments.

• 50 TWh new emissions-free electricitydecisive»Minst 50 TWh utsläppsfri el måste börja byggas nästa mandatperiod.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“At least 50 TWh of emissions-free electricity must begin to be built next mandate period.”
• halved permit times»Det är dags att halvera tiden det tar att få tillstånd för gröna investeringar och reformera miljöbalken så att ett projekts klimatnytta ges större vikt i miljöprövningen.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“It is time to halve the time it takes to obtain permits for green investments and reform the Environmental Code so that a project's climate benefit is given greater weight in environmental assessment.”
• local share of hydropower's value»Mer av värdet som skapas från naturresurser — exempelvis vindkraft, vattenkraft och gruvor — ska stanna kvar lokalt.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“More of the value created from natural resources — for example wind power, hydropower and mines — must stay local.”
• protect watercourses»Rädda Sveriges sjöar, vattendrag och hav.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Save Sweden's lakes, watercourses and seas.”

The plan takes no explicit position on what the committee actually decided — often because the committee's reason was procedural. The stance is derived and fully cited, but it does not show the party broke a commitment.

The plan explicitly says that modernization of hydropower shall include requirements that power plants meet today's environmental regulations, which speaks for resuming the paused environmental assessments as soon as possible. The plan also wants to develop hydropower through increased efficiency and invest in energy storage and investments in the power system, which carries the requirement for increased control capacity through enhanced output in existing facilities. The requirement to map the potential of larger watercourses, however, stands in tension with development occurring through increased efficiency and that national rivers shall be protected.

• modern environmental requirements on power plantsdecisive»modernisering ska också innebära krav på att kraftverken lever upp till dagens miljöregler.« (party programme ↗)“modernization shall also include requirements that power plants meet today's environmental regulations.”
• increased efficiency not exploitation»Vattenkraften kan utvecklas genom effektivisering, inte genom ökad exploatering.« (party programme ↗)“Hydropower can be developed through increased efficiency, not through increased exploitation.”
• investments in power system and storage»Ska vi få ner elpriserna krävs att vi bygger inte bara kärnkraft utan också mer sol- och vindkraft i hela landet, investerar i kraftsystemet och satsar på energilagring.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“If we are to lower electricity prices, we need not only nuclear power but also more solar and wind power across the entire country, invest in the power system and prioritize energy storage.”
• national rivers protected»nationalälvarna ska fredas från utbyggnad, liksom övriga i lag skyddade vattendrag samt bäckar,« (party programme ↗)“national rivers shall be protected from development, as shall other legally protected watercourses and streams,”

The stance rests on the quoted commitment in the party's own documents; the actual vote deviated. Click the quote to verify it in the document.

The election manifesto explicitly promises to protect hydroelectric power, both large-scale and small-scale, and the party programme makes supply security and competitiveness into cornerstones of energy policy alongside environmental sustainability. The counter-proposal's requirements for resumed examinations with efficient access to hydroelectric power, increased regulatory capacity and faster permit processes are in line with this. The plan also supports investments in electricity generated from water.

• protected hydroelectric powerdecisive»Värna vattenkraften, både den storskaliga och småskaliga.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Protect hydroelectric power, both large-scale and small-scale.”
• cornerstones of energy policy»De tre grundpelarna för den svenska energipolitiken ska vara miljömässig hållbarhet, försörjningstrygghet och konkurrenskraft.« (party programme ↗)“The three cornerstones of Swedish energy policy shall be environmental sustainability, supply security and competitiveness.”
• investments in hydroelectric power»Därför behöver investeringar, forskning och utveckling i elkraft från vind, sol och vatten stödjas« (party programme ↗)“Therefore, investments, research and development in electricity from wind, sun and water must be supported”

The plan takes no explicit position on what the committee actually decided — often because the committee's reason was procedural. The stance is derived and fully cited, but it does not show the party broke a commitment.

The plan's energy policy commitment is that all fossil-free energy sources should contribute, that plannable production should be strengthened and that permit processes should be shortened. The counter-proposal's demands for increased control capacity through storage, pumped hydro and efficiency increase and faster review align directly with this, and the demand that reviews give effective access to hydropower electricity matches the plan's prioritisation of stable electricity production. Therefore, the plan supports the demand on the merits.

• all fossil-free sources contributedecisive»Ska vi klara det behövs en elproduktion där alla fossilfria energikällor är med och bidrar.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“If we are to manage it, we need electricity production where all fossil-free energy sources contribute.”
• plannable and stable electricity production»Upphandla kraftproduktion som stärker stabiliteten« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Procure power production that strengthens stability”
• shorter permit processes»Investera i det svenska elnätet och korta tillståndsprocesserna för elnätsutbyggnad« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Invest in the Swedish electricity grid and shorten permit processes for grid expansion”
• 100 percent fossil-free goal»Ändra det energipolitiska målet från 100 procent förnybart till 100 procent fossilfritt« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Change the energy policy goal from 100 percent renewable to 100 percent fossil-free”

The plan takes no explicit position on what the committee actually decided — often because the committee's reason was procedural. The stance is derived and fully cited, but it does not show the party broke a commitment.

The plan establishes that Sweden needs to invest in predictable and fossil-free electricity production with targets for supply security, and that licensing processes shall be streamlined and made more predictable. The counter-proposal's demands for increased regulatory capacity through output boosting and storage in existing facilities, and faster assessment, directly address this. However, the party programme's protection of pristine national rivers sets a limit on how far the survey of watercourses' potential may go.

• predictable fossil-free powerdecisive»Sverige behöver satsa på planerbar och fossilfri elproduktion.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Sweden needs to invest in predictable and fossil-free electricity production.”
• hydropower as foundation»grundstommen i Sveriges elproduktion« (party programme ↗)“the foundation of Sweden's electricity production”
• faster licensing processes»Effektivisera och öka förutsägbarheten i tillståndsprocesserna för gruvnäring, elnätsutbyggnad och industri« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Streamline and increase predictability in licensing processes for mining, electricity grid expansion and industry”
• targets for supply security»Sätta upp mål för fossilfrihet och att ett mål för leveranssäkerhet införs« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Set targets for fossil-free electricity and introduce a target for supply security”

The plan takes no explicit position on what the committee actually decided — often because the committee's reason was procedural. The stance is derived and fully cited, but it does not show the party broke a commitment.