Environmental review of hydropower and protection of untouched rivers
What's at stake: The re-review of hydropower's environmental conditions weighs the need for a better water environment and protected rivers against the need for a stable, national supply of hydropower electricity. The decision affects both the 42 watercourses currently protected from development and how quickly hydropower operators must adapt their plants.
Case texts and AI reasoning are AI-translated from the Swedish originals; the Swedish text is authoritative.
What the vote decides
The question is whether Parliament should instruct the government to speed up the environmental review of hydropower and tighten requirements for environmental adaptation and minimum flow, or whether the committee should stand behind the changes to the rules that the government has already made.
Yes Yes — the committee proposal
The committee welcomes the changes the government has already made to the re-review of hydropower's environmental conditions, considers that a reasonable balance now exists between water environment and electricity supply, stands behind the government's direction in this area, and therefore sees no reason for a parliamentary statement.
No No — the reservations
Reservation 12 (MP)
The reservation (MP) wants to safeguard the untouched rivers and watercourses, ensure that the environmental review of hydropower is carried out swiftly without harming water quality, and require that large hydropower plants too be environmentally adapted with minimum flow as a starting point.
Summarised from the committee report. Party labels in the summary come from the report, not from the vote.
V–
S–
MP–
C–
L–
KD–
M–
SD–
YesNoAbstainAbsent
What do the votes mean here?
Yes The committee proposal: rejecting the motions (keeping things as they are).
No Backing the counter-proposal: reservation 12 by MP.
Abstain The party marks a position of its own that is not one of the two final alternatives.
The plan's stance / Actual vote
AI
Vote
Confidence
Evidence
V
–
Abstain 0/0/19/3
S
–
Abstain 0/0/93/13
MPown reservation
–
No 0/15/0/3
C
–
Abstain 0/0/21/3
L
–
Yes 14/0/0/2
KD
–
Yes 16/0/0/3
M
–
Yes 60/0/0/8
SD
–
Yes 61/0/0/10
Committee proposal
The Riksdag rejects the motions
2025/26:67 by Josef Fransson (SD),
2025/26:540 by Inga-Lill Sjöblom (S),
2025/26:605 by Lars Isacsson et al. (S),
2025/26:1389 by Sten Bergheden (M) demands 1 and 3,
2025/26:1484 by Magnus Jacobsson et al. (KD),
2025/26:1735 by Crister Carlsson and Thomas Ragnarsson (both M),
2025/26:2605 by Anders W Jonsson and Helena Vilhelmsson (both C),
2025/26:2784 by Nooshi Dadgostar et al. (V) demands 45 and 46,
2025/26:3311 by Sten Bergheden (M),
2025/26:3582 by Rickard Nordin et al. (C) demands 116, 118 and 120,
2025/26:3732 by Åsa Westlund et al. (S) demand 77 and
2025/26:3774 by Emma Nohrén et al. (MP) demands 51-53.
Original (Swedish)
Riksdagen avslår motionerna
2025/26:67 av Josef Fransson (SD),
2025/26:540 av Inga-Lill Sjöblom (S),
2025/26:605 av Lars Isacsson m.fl. (S),
2025/26:1389 av Sten Bergheden (M) yrkandena 1 och 3,
2025/26:1484 av Magnus Jacobsson m.fl. (KD),
2025/26:1735 av Crister Carlsson och Thomas Ragnarsson (båda M),
2025/26:2605 av Anders W Jonsson och Helena Vilhelmsson (båda C),
2025/26:2784 av Nooshi Dadgostar m.fl. (V) yrkandena 45 och 46,
2025/26:3311 av Sten Bergheden (M),
2025/26:3582 av Rickard Nordin m.fl. (C) yrkandena 116, 118 och 120,
2025/26:3732 av Åsa Westlund m.fl. (S) yrkande 77 och
2025/26:3774 av Emma Nohrén m.fl. (MP) yrkandena 51-53.
Riksdag decision: The Riksdag said no to 115 proposals in motions from the general parliamentary motion period 2025. The proposals concern, among other things, matters of national interest (areas identified as containing nationally or regionally important values and qualities), protection of agricultural land and water areas, permits for water activities, and agency cooperation and national water coordination. The Riksdag refers, among other things, to the fact that work is already underway in the areas covered by the proposals.
Counter-proposals
The counter-proposal wants to strengthen the protection of drinking water sources. (MP) — Reservation 12
Motion 2025/26:1374 — Hamnar som riksintresse av Sanne Lennström och Linnéa Wickman (båda S)
Motion 2025/26:1386 — Risk för översvämning i Mälaren och Hjälmaren i ett förändrat klimat av Karin Sundin m.fl. (S)
Motion 2025/26:1389 — Ta vara på den småskaliga vattenkraften i Sverige av Sten Bergheden (M)
Motion 2025/26:1437 — En robust, kostnadseffektiv och rättvis energiförsörjning av Markus Selin m.fl. (S)
Motion 2025/26:1473 — Ändring av vattentjänstlagen för att säkerställa hållbart underhåll och nyinvesteringar i vatten- och avloppssystem av Eric Westroth (SD)
Motion 2025/26:1484 — Småskalig vattenkraft gynnar hela landsbygden av Magnus Jacobsson m.fl. (KD)
Motion 2025/26:1527 — Stärkt säkerhet för Sveriges dricksvattenförsörjning av Emma Ahlström Köster (M)
Motion 2025/26:1661 — Nationell strategi mot stranderosion av Emma Ahlström Köster m.fl. (M)