Hydropower

The plan requires ambitious environmental goals with strong legislation and that new energy projects be compared in environmental consequences throughout their entire lifecycle. The counter-proposal's demands for reduced regulatory burden, respect for property rights and proportionate environmental measures point toward weakened environmental assessment of hydropower, which contradicts that commitment. That power output increases is in itself compatible with the plan, but the decisive part of the requirement is the loosening of water legislation.

• strong environmental legislationdecisive»miljömål som följs upp med skarp lagstiftning och praktiskt arbete.« (party programme ↗)“environmental goals pursued through rigorous legislation and practical work.”
• environmental assessment of energy projects»behöver jämföras i miljökonsekvenser och säkerhet över hela sin« (party programme ↗)“need to be compared in environmental consequences and safety over their entire”
• restore ecosystems»skapa goda villkor för rika ekosystem, bland annat genom att återställa« (party programme ↗)“create good conditions for rich ecosystems, among other things by restoring”
• electricity as publicly owned infrastructure»Vi ser el och värme som en del av Sveriges infrastruktur, där« (party programme ↗)“We see electricity and heat as part of Sweden's infrastructure, where”

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 election manifesto commits the party to protecting hydropower and expanding electricity production of all kinds and to speeding up slow permit processes, which supports the counter-proposal's demands for increased output, increased storage capacity and reduced uncertainty in environmental review. The plan's protection of water environments at the same time sets a limit on how far the easements can go.

• protect hydropowerdecisive»Vi behöver också värna vattenkraften och se till att solpanelerna blir fler« (2022 manifesto ↗)“We also need to protect hydropower and ensure that solar panels become more”
• expanded electricity production»Bygg ut elproduktionen av alla slag.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Expand electricity production of all kinds.”
• faster permit processes»Långsamma tillståndsprocesser ska snabbas på.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Slow permit processes shall be speeded up.”
• protection of water environments»Värn av biologisk mångfald och Sveriges värdefulla natur och vattenmiljöer.« (party programme ↗)“Protection of biological diversity and Sweden's valuable natural and water environments.”

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 states that hydropower is fully developed and that the last untouched rivers should be protected, and it rejects using the transition as an excuse to loosen environmental legislation. The counter-proposal's demands for reduced regulatory red tape and proportionate environmental measures point toward weakened environmental conditions, which the plan opposes. The plan's desire to promote efficiency in existing facilities is not sufficient to support the counter-proposal as a whole.

• hydropower fully developeddecisive»Vi anser att vattenkraften är färdigutbyggd och därför ska de sista orörda älvarna och strömmande vattnen skyddas.« (party programme ↗)“We believe that hydropower is fully developed and therefore the last untouched rivers and flowing waters should be protected.”
• no loosened environmental law»Den gröna omställningen ska inte användas som ursäkt för att luckra upp miljölagstiftning eller urholka minoriteters rättigheter.« (party programme ↗)“The green transition should not be used as an excuse to loosen environmental legislation or undermine minorities' rights.”
• environmental adaptation of hydropower»samtidigt som de som tjänat ut sitt syfte eller inte når dagens miljökrav rivs ut eller miljöanpassas för att säkra öppna vandringsvägar för fisk och andra arter.« (party programme ↗)“at the same time as those that have served their purpose or do not meet today's environmental requirements are torn down or environmentally adapted to ensure open migration routes for fish and other species.”
• efficiency improvements of existing facilities»Däremot vill vi främja ombyggnad och effektivisering av befintliga vattenkraftverk« (party programme ↗)“However, we want to promote reconstruction and efficiency improvements of existing hydropower facilities”

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 wants to double production of emission-free electricity, significantly shorten approval times and value strong property rights in environmental assessment. The counter-proposal's demand for a strategy to increase hydropower's capacity and storage, reduced regulatory complexity and proportionate environmental measures follow from these commitments. The plan says nothing specifically about hydropower's reconsideration, so the position is derived from the electricity production and approval line.

• more emission-free electricitydecisive»Vi vill fördubbla produktionen av utsläppsfri el, och rusta och bygga ut elnätet.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“We want to double production of emission-free electricity, and develop and expand the electricity grid.”
• faster permits»Det krävs en kriskommission för att snabbare öka Sveriges utsläppsfria elproduktion och tillstånd för vindkraft ska få ta max två år.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“A crisis commission is needed to faster increase Sweden's emission-free electricity production and permits for wind power should take a maximum of two years.”
• reduced regulatory complexity»Klimatet kan inte vänta på dyra och krångliga regelverk.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“The climate cannot wait for expensive and complicated regulations.”
• respect for property rights»Äganderätten är central för ett samhälle där människor kan förverkliga sig själva och sina drömmar.« (party programme ↗)“Property rights are central to a society where people can realise themselves and their dreams.”

The plan establishes that hydropower can be developed through efficiency improvements, not through increased exploitation, which is precisely what the counter-proposal's requirement for increased energy output and storage capacity means. The election manifesto also promises investments in the power system and efforts in energy storage. The plan simultaneously requires that power plants meet today's environmental regulations and that the national rivers are protected, which sets limits for how far the reform of water legislation can go.

• hydropower efficiency improvementsdecisive»Vattenkraften kan utvecklas genom effektivisering, inte genom ökad exploatering.« (party programme ↗)“Hydropower can be developed through efficiency improvements, not through increased exploitation.”
• power system and storage investments»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 ↗)“To lower electricity prices we need to build not only nuclear power but also more solar and wind power across the country, invest in the power system and invest in energy storage.”
• environmental requirements during modernization»Denna modernisering ska också innebära krav på att kraftverken lever upp till dagens miljöregler.« (party programme ↗)“This modernization shall also mean requirements that power plants meet today's environmental regulations.”
• protected national rivers»De fyra nationalälvarna ska fredas från utbyggnad, liksom övriga i lag skyddade vattendrag samt bäckar, åar och andra mindre vattendrag.« (party programme ↗)“The four national rivers shall be protected from development, as shall other water courses protected by law and streams, watercourses and other smaller water courses.”

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 election manifesto states that hydropower is to be valued, both large-scale and small-scale, and the party programme counts hydropower among the base load that is to be valued while technology for energy storage is to be encouraged. The plan also requires that property rights be protected against restrictions. The counter-proposal's requirements for power increase, storage, and reform of water legislation with proportionate environmental measures thus follow from the plan.

• value hydropowerdecisive»Värna vattenkraften, både den storskaliga och småskaliga.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Value hydropower, both large-scale and small-scale.”
• base load is to be valued»baskraften som framförallt utgörs av kärnkraft, vattenkraft och kraftvärme. Denna baskraft« (party programme ↗)“the base load which is primarily made up of nuclear power, hydropower and combined heat and power. This base load”
• energy storage is encouraged»Teknikutvecklingen för lagring av energi ska uppmuntras för att förnybara« (party programme ↗)“Technology development for energy storage shall be encouraged to enable renewables”
• property rights are protected»Rätten till egendom är en mänsklig rättighet och därför ska en regel finnas i grundlagen som« (party programme ↗)“The right to property is a human right and therefore a rule shall be in the constitution which”

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 counter-proposal wants to harness hydropower's capacity potential through a national strategy and continue reforming water legislation with less regulatory burden, respect for ownership rights and proportionate environmental measures. The plan states that all fossil-free energy sources should be included and contribute, that the goal should be fossil-free rather than renewable and that power production that strengthens stability should be procured. The requirement for consideration of ownership rights aligns with the principle that the owner should also be allowed to use their property.

• all fossil-free energy sourcesdecisive»Ska vi klara det behövs en elproduktion där alla fossilfria energikällor är med och bidrar.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“To manage that, we need electricity production where all fossil-free energy sources are included and contribute.”
• fossil-free energy 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”
• stable dispatchable power»Upphandla kraftproduktion som stärker stabiliteten« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Procure power production that strengthens stability”
• ownership rights in environmental review»principen att den som äger också ska ha« (party programme ↗)“the principle that the owner should also”

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 builds electricity supply on predictable and fossil-free power and highlights that large-scale development of nuclear power and hydropower has served Sweden well. A national strategy to increase power output and storage capacity in existing hydropower, with reduced red tape and proportionate environmental measures, aligns with both the energy goal and the plan's requirement for simpler rules and strengthened property rights.

• predictable electricity productiondecisive»Sverige behöver satsa på planerbar och fossilfri elproduktion.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Sweden needs to invest in predictable and fossil-free electricity production.”
• hydropower as base»Bakgrunden till detta är att vi tidigt satsade på en storskalig utbyggnad av kärnkraften och vattenkraften, vilket tjänar och har tjänat oss väl.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“The background to this is that we early invested in large-scale development of nuclear power and hydropower, which serves and has served us well.”
• simplification and legal certainty»Förenkla regelverken och förbättra rättssäkerheten« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Simplify regulations and improve legal certainty”
• strengthened property rights»Stärka äganderätten« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Strengthen property rights”

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.