Hydropower

The plan demands ambitious environmental goals with strict legislation and comprehensive work for rich ecosystems, and establishes that new energy projects shall be weighed based on environmental consequences over their entire lifecycle. Protecting pristine rivers and requiring environmental adaptation with minimum flow even for large hydroelectric power plants is precisely such an application. The election manifesto also demands that damaged nature such as drained wetlands is restored.

• rich ecosystemsdecisive»skapa goda villkor för rika ekosystem, bland annat genom att återställa« (party programme ↗)“create good conditions for rich ecosystems, among other things by restoring”
• strict environmental legislation»miljömål som följs upp med skarp lagstiftning och praktiskt arbete.« (party programme ↗)“environmental goals that are followed up with strict legislation and practical work.”
• environmental review 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 water environments»torrlagda våtmarker som läcker utsläpp ska återställas« (2022 manifesto ↗)“drained wetlands that leak emissions shall be restored”

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 decisive commitment is protection of biological diversity and Sweden's valuable nature and water environments and clean water throughout the country, which supports the requirement for protected untouched rivers and environmental adaptation with minimum discharge even for large works. The requirement for prompt review is in line with the plan's desire to speed up permit processes. At the same time, the plan wants to protect hydroelectric power as an electricity source.

• protection of water environmentsdecisive»Värn av biologisk mångfald och Sveriges värdefulla natur och vattenmiljöer.« (party programme ↗)“Protection of biological diversity and Sweden's valuable nature and water environments.”
• clean water throughout the country»Giftfri miljö med ren luft och rent vatten i hela Sverige.« (party programme ↗)“Toxin-free environment with clean air and clean water throughout Sweden.”
• prompt review»Långsamma tillståndsprocesser ska snabbas på.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Slow permit processes shall be sped up.”
• protect hydroelectric power»Vi behöver också värna vattenkraften och se till att solpanelerna blir fler« (2022 manifesto ↗)“We also need to protect hydroelectric power and ensure that solar panels become more numerous”

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 hydroelectric power is fully developed and that the last unspoiled rivers and flowing waters shall be protected. It also requires that power plants that do not meet today's environmental requirements be dismantled or environmentally adapted to ensure fish migration routes. The counter-proposal's demands for protected rivers, prompt environmental assessment and environmental adaptation with minimum flow even for large installations are the same commitment.

• protect unspoiled riversdecisive»Vi anser att vattenkraften är färdigutbyggd och därför ska de sista orörda älvarna och strömmande vattnen skyddas.« (party programme ↗)“We believe that hydroelectric power is fully developed and therefore the last unspoiled rivers and flowing waters shall be protected.”
• environmental adaptation and migration routes»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 dismantled or environmentally adapted to ensure open fish migration routes and other species.”
• pressured water ecosystems»Hav, sjöar och vattendrag utsätts sedan länge för en enorm press« (party programme ↗)“Seas, lakes and waterways have long been subjected to enormous pressure”
• no relaxed environmental law»Den gröna omställningen ska inte användas som ursäkt för att luckra upp miljölagstiftning eller urholka minoriteters rättigheter.« (party programme ↗)“The green transition shall not be used as an excuse to relax environmental legislation or undermine the rights of minorities.”

The plan wants to save Sweden's lakes, watercourses and seas, care for nature and develop biological diversity, and it also requires that environmental assessments proceed quickly. The counter-proposal's demand for expedited assessment without water quality being harmed and for environmental adaptation with minimum outflow even for large projects combines these two lines. The plan's commitment to more zero-emission electricity pulls partly in the other direction, so confidence is low.

• save watercoursesdecisive»Rädda Sveriges sjöar, vattendrag och hav.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Save Sweden's lakes, watercourses and seas.”
• cared-for nature»Sveriges natur ska vårdas och den biologiska mångfalden utvecklas.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Sweden's nature shall be cared for and biological diversity developed.”
• expedited assessment»Det är dags att halvera tiden det tar att få tillstånd för gröna investeringar« (2022 manifesto ↗)“It is time to halve the time it takes to get permission for green investments”
• use without consuming»Vi har en skyldighet att bruka utan att förbruka, att inte föröda kretsloppen för kommande generationer.« (party programme ↗)“We have a duty to use without consuming, not to impoverish the cycles for coming generations.”

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 the four national rivers and other protected watercourses shall be protected from expansion and that the modernization of hydropower shall include requirements that power plants meet today's environmental regulations. It also requires that facilities be designed so that damage to migratory fish is minimized, which is precisely what environmental adaptation with minimum flow aims at. The counter-proposal's requirements are thus supported.

• protected rivers and watercoursesdecisive»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 expansion, as shall other watercourses protected in law as well as streams, brooks and other smaller watercourses.”
• power plants must meet environmental standards»Denna modernisering ska också innebära krav på att kraftverken lever upp till dagens miljöregler.« (party programme ↗)“This modernization shall also include requirements that power plants meet today's environmental regulations.”
• protection of migratory fish»Anläggningar för vattenkraft ska vara utformade så att skadorna för vandrande fisk minimeras.« (party programme ↗)“Hydropower facilities shall be designed so that damage to migratory fish is minimized.”
• nature for the next generation»Sveriges fjäll, skogar och marker är fantastiska – och ska vara det också för nästa generation.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Sweden's mountains, forests and lands are fantastic – and shall be so also for the next generation.”

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 commits to protecting hydropower, both large-scale and small-scale, and the party programme counts hydropower as one of the base power that should be protected and wants to secure Sweden's self-sufficiency in electricity. Requirements for environmental adaptation with minimum discharge even for large hydropower plants would reduce controllable production. The plan prioritizes here electricity supply over additional environmental requirements and thus speaks against the counter-proposal's demands.

• protect hydropowerdecisive»Värna vattenkraften, både den storskaliga och småskaliga.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Protect hydropower, both large-scale and small-scale.”
• base power should be protected»baskraften som framförallt utgörs av kärnkraft, vattenkraft och kraftvärme. Denna baskraft« (party programme ↗)“base power primarily consisting of nuclear power, hydropower and combined heat and power. This base power”
• secure self-sufficiency in electricity»Självförsörjningen behöver tryggas för att Sverige inte ska bli beroende av elimport från« (party programme ↗)“Self-sufficiency needs to be secured so that Sweden does not become dependent on electricity imports from”
• no price shocks or electricity shortages»Målet är ett fossilfritt energisystem utan drastiska prisförändringar, elbrist eller andra« (party programme ↗)“The goal is a fossil-free energy system without drastic price changes, electricity shortages or other”

The counter-proposal wants to require environmental adaptation with minimum discharge even for large hydroelectric plants and protect untouched rivers. The plan on the other hand requires that all fossil-free energy sources contribute and that electricity production that strengthens stability is protected, with an explicit goal to push down electricity prices. Requirements that reduce output from large hydropower go against this, as do the principle that the owner should also be able to use their ownership.

• all fossil-free energy sourcesdecisive»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 are included and contribute.”
• stable predictable power»Upphandla kraftproduktion som stärker stabiliteten« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Procure electricity production that strengthens stability”
• lower electricity prices»Du ska ha råd med elräkningen – vi ska omedelbart sänka elpriserna« (2022 manifesto ↗)“You should be able to afford the electricity bill – we shall immediately lower electricity prices”
• ownership rights in environmental review»principen att den som äger också ska ha« (party programme ↗)“the principle that the owner should also be able to”

The plan builds electricity supply on plannable power where hydropower is a key part and demands simpler regulations and environmental measures that provide most environmental benefit per pound. The counter-proposal's demand for environmental adaptation with minimum discharge even for large hydropower plants would reduce plannable production and further tighten the assessment. However, protecting untouched rivers is in line with the plan, which makes the assessment uncertain.

• plannable electricity productiondecisive»Sverige behöver satsa på planerbar och fossilfri elproduktion.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Sweden needs to invest in plannable 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 a large-scale expansion of nuclear power and hydropower, which serves and has served us well.”
• regulatory simplification»Förenkla regelverken och förbättra rättssäkerheten« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Simplify the regulations and improve legal certainty”
• environmental efficiency per pound»Sträva efter miljöeffektivitet och hitta de åtgärder som ger mest miljö per krona« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Strive for environmental efficiency and find the measures that provide most environmental benefit per pound”