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World Potential (SWEDEN)
The Possibilities of Further Development
From the forties until the mid-sixties, hydropower was developed
in step with the increasing consumption of electricity.
Thermal power stations were built exclusively in order to
safeguard the power supply in dry years and to cope with
the peak loads. The later fifties, however, saw a growing
resistance to the development of hydro power. In the sixties
interest in the conservation of the environment was broadened
in the general debate and resulted for example, in the creation
of the Environment Protection Board. As a result, the further
development of hydropower was called into question in a
very different way than previously.
With the hopes attached to nuclear power development, a
new argument was advanced: hydropower might no longer be
necessary. The additional power to be gained from an entire
river appeared almost marginal compared with the energy
production of large nuclear stations.
Views as to what extent further hydroelectric development
should be permitted still differ widely. The main argument
in favour of further development is that the utilization
of hydropower is an economic and efficient method of generating
electricity It normally does not cause any significant air
or water pollution and is a domestic resource which should
be utilized to contribute to reducing dependence on imported
fuel, above all oil. Othersprimarily the nature conservancy
authorities and organizations-declare that no further development
of hydro power should be considered because, in their opinion,
exploitation of the remaining, untouched rivers threatens
to deprive Sweden entirely of the type of natural country
these represent.
The possibilities of developing hydropower in Sweden now
depend not so much on technical and economic considerations,
as on the degree to which new projects can be accepted in
view of their effects on the environment. The consequence
is that the Government, during the last decades, has made
the final judgments by weighing the advantages and disadvantages
of the projects. To obtain a basis for its decisions, the
Government has commissioned extensive studies during the
seventies, eighties and nineties designed to:
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take aside those of specific interest
for harnessing.
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list the possibilities of further,
economical rational, hydro power developments.
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describe the consequences of these
for different environmental interests.
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rank these projects in respect in
both of their environmental effects and their economic
advantages in power production.
On the basis of these studies, the Government
and the Riksdag have drawn up guidelines for the future utilization
of Sweden's rivers for hydropower. These entail that the major
part of those rivers, and individual stretches of rivers,
which have not yet been claimed for development will also
remain undeveloped. Consequently the four main rivers Vindelalven,
Pite Alv, Kalix Alv and Torne-Muonio Alv amongst others, are
excluded. What then remains to be developed, if permission
by the Water Rights Court is granted, corresponds to an annual
power production of less than 2 M. The majority of these projects
are among the least economically advantageous and include
the so called mini power stations. It is therefore uncertain
whether they will be developed in the foreseeable future.
It may well be doubted whether Sweden can afford in the long
run. to leave unexploited about one-third of the hydropower
potential that is estimated to be economically feasible today
and about half of the technically possible resources. Bearing
in mind the political situation and the attitude of large
groups of the people, several years will certainly pass before
a substantial further hydropower development programme is
reconsidered. Thanks to good flow regulation conditions, it
has been and is still possible to increase the capacity of
many hydro stations and to use these for peak load production.
In this way it is also possible to maintain a sufficient reserve
capacity of hydropower to compensate, for instance, for the
temporary shutdown of a large nuclear unit. There are only
two pumped storage stations and no more are foreseen in the
main system within the near future.
Country Brief
History of Hydropower
Installed Capacity
Electricity Supply
Network
Planning, Operation,
and Power Exchange
The Deregulated
Electricity Market
Hydrology and Topography
Background of Hydro
Development
Hydropower Developed
Until 1995
Available Hydropower
Potential
The Possibilities
of Further Development
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