Hydroelectric power

The plan does not address storage capacity, but states that long-term environmental considerations should be paramount and that measures must be immediately implemented for species to survive. The counter-proposal's motive is to increase hydropower's economic value through better price adjustment, which is precisely the market logic the plan rejects. The plan's requirement for state control over energy infrastructure does not support expanded storage out of economic considerations.

• environmental considerations paramountdecisive»de långsiktiga miljöhänsynen måste vara överordnade i den meningen att ett globalt ekologiskt sammanbrott aldrig kan« (party programme ↗)“long-term environmental considerations must be paramount in the sense that a global ecological collapse can never”
• not the market's pricing logic»Det går inte att överlåta framtiden till marknadskrafternas godtycke« (2022 manifesto ↗)“The future cannot be left to the arbitrariness of market forces”
• protection of species»genast sättas in för att arter långsiktigt kan fortleva i bestånd med« (party programme ↗)“must be immediately implemented for species to survive long-term in populations with”
• state control of energy»Staten måste öka sin kontroll över infrastruktur och resurser som behövs för att genomföra klimatomställningen.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“The state must increase its control over infrastructure and resources needed to implement the climate transition.”

The plan wants to protect hydropower and quickly expand electricity production to get cheaper electricity, while slow permit processes shall be sped up. Investigating increased storage capacity, so that production better matches demand, serves precisely the regulatory and price stability the plan seeks. The plan's requirement for protected biological diversity sets limits for how it is done, but does not prevent an investigation. The plan therefore supports the demand.

• 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 numerous”
• more and cheaper electricity»Vi behöver bygga ut elproduktionen för att få mer billig el, snabbt, inte minst i södra Sverige.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“We need to expand electricity production to get cheaper electricity, quickly, not least in southern Sweden.”
• faster permit processes»Långsamma tillståndsprocesser ska snabbas på.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Slow permit processes shall be sped up.”
• protect biological diversity»biologiska mångfalden måste skyddas.« (party programme ↗)“biological diversity must be protected.”

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 party programme states that hydropower is fully developed and that the last untouched rivers shall be protected; what should be promoted is reconstruction and efficiency improvement of existing facilities with increased environmental requirements. The counter-proposal's investigation into increased reservoir capacity to raise hydropower's economic value goes against this and against the plan's requirement for protection of key biotopes in water.

• hydropower fully developeddecisive»Vattenkraften är enligt vårt sätt att se det färdigutbyggd« (party programme ↗)“Hydropower is according to our view fully developed”
• efficiency, not expansion»främja ombyggnad och effektivisering av befintliga« (party programme ↗)“promote reconstruction and efficiency improvement of existing”
• protection of aquatic biotopes»skydd av nyckelbiotoper i vatten och av områden« (party programme ↗)“protection of key biotopes in water and areas”
• clean water and biodiversity»Rent vatten är en förutsättning för att kunna« (party programme ↗)“Clean water is a prerequisite for being able to”

The election manifesto wants to double the production of emission-free electricity, make Sweden Europe's green battery, and secure robust electricity supply. Increased storage capacity in hydropower is precisely what makes production controllable against demand in an electricity system with more weather-dependent power, and strengthens the value of a renewable resource. Storage is not explicitly mentioned, so the conclusion is derived from the electricity goals.

• Sweden as green batterydecisive»Sverige ska bli Europas gröna batteri och exportera el till grannländer som fasar ut sitt fossilberoende.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Sweden must become Europe's green battery and export electricity to neighbouring countries that are phasing out their fossil dependence.”
• doubled emission-free electricity»Vi vill fördubbla produktionen av utsläppsfri el, och rusta och bygga ut elnätet.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“We want to double the production of emission-free electricity and upgrade and expand the electricity network.”
• robust electricity supply»I Sverige behövs ett ännu mer konkurrenskraftigt och hållbart lantbruk, robust elförsörjning, bättre infrastruktur och fler snabbladdare för elbilar.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Sweden needs an even more competitive and sustainable agriculture, robust electricity supply, better infrastructure, and more fast chargers for electric cars.”
• the value of hydropower»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 — such as wind power, hydropower, and mines — must remain locally.”

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 states that hydropower can be developed through efficiency, not through increased exploitation, and that protected watercourses shall be protected from development. To investigate increased storage capacity means precisely increased exploitation of watercourses and is therefore rejected by the plan. The plan's support for energy storage in the power system does not apply at the cost of expanded hydropower.

• efficiency not exploitationdecisive»Vattenkraften kan utvecklas genom effektivisering, inte genom ökad exploatering.« (party programme ↗)“Hydropower can be developed through efficiency, not through increased exploitation.”
• protected watercourses»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 watercourses protected by law and streams, creeks and other smaller watercourses.”
• environmental consideration in hydropower»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.”
• investments in power system»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 get electricity prices down, we need not only to build nuclear power but also more solar and wind power throughout the country, invest in the power system and commit to energy storage.”

The plan explicitly requires that water power is protected, both the large-scale and the small-scale, and that energy supply is secured through a long-term energy policy with fixed rules. The goal is an energy system without dramatic price changes or power shortages, which presupposes controllable production. To investigate the conditions for increased storage capacity, so that production better matches demand, thus follows from these commitments.

• protected water powerdecisive»Värna vattenkraften, både den storskaliga och småskaliga.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Protect water power, both the large-scale and small-scale.”
• secured energy supply»Sveriges energiförsörjning ska tryggas genom en långsiktig energipolitik med fasta spelregler, där inhemska förnybara energikällor och bränslen utgör en växande bas.« (party programme ↗)“Sweden's energy supply shall be secured through a long-term energy policy with fixed rules, where domestic renewable energy sources and fuels form an increasing base.”
• stable electricity supply»drastiska prisförändringar, elbrist eller andra betydande« (party programme ↗)“dramatic price changes, power shortages or other significant”
• developed transmission and export»är väl utbyggd, också för att möjliggöra svensk export« (party programme ↗)“is well-developed, also to enable Swedish export”

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 all fossil-free energy sources shall contribute and places great emphasis on plannable production and procured power that strengthens stability. Increased storage capacity in hydropower makes production more plannable and matches demand, which aligns with this. The plan also wants to shorten permit processes and invest in the electricity system, even though storage is not mentioned explicitly.

• all fossil-free power sourcesdecisive»Ska vi klara det behövs en elproduktion där alla fossilfria energikällor är med och bidrar.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“If we are to manage this, we need power production where all fossil-free energy sources are contributing.”
• stable plannable power»Upphandla kraftproduktion som stärker stabiliteten« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Procure power production that strengthens stability”
• more plannable power production»Det handlar både om att öka den planerbara elproduktionen från kraftvärmen och om att de höga intäkter som uppkommit efter den rödgröna nedläggningen av kärnkraft ska gå tillbaka till hushållen.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“It is both about increasing plannable power production from combined heat and power plants and that the high revenues that arose after the red-green decommissioning of nuclear power shall go back to households.”
• shorter permit processes»Investera i det svenska elnätet och korta tillståndsprocesserna för elnätsutbyggnad« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Invest in the Swedish electricity network and shorten permit processes for electricity network expansion”

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 party programme states that nuclear power and hydropower form the backbone of Swedish electricity production, and the election manifesto demands predictable and fossil-free electricity production and a target for supply security. The counter-proposal's demand to investigate increased storage capacity, so that production better matches demand, is in line with that direction. However, the plan's protection of national rivers from further expansion sets a limit, which is why the support applies to the investigation as such.

• hydropower as backbonedecisive»Under överskådlig framtid kommer kärnkraften och vattenkraften att utgöra grundstommen i Sveriges« (party programme ↗)“For the foreseeable future, nuclear power and hydropower will form the backbone of Sweden's”
• target for supply security»Sätta upp mål för fossilfrihet och att ett mål för leveranssäkerhet införs« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Set goals for fossil-free and that a target for supply security is introduced”
• predictable electricity production»Sverige behöver satsa på planerbar och fossilfri elproduktion.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Sweden needs to invest in predictable and fossil-free electricity production.”
• protect national rivers»nationalälvar ska bevaras från vidare vattenkraftsutbyggnad« (party programme ↗)“national rivers shall be protected from further hydropower expansion”

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