Hydro power and the environment
What impact does hydropower have on the environment?
Hydropower is requisite to our having a safe and secure electricity system based on renewable and fossil-free electricity generation, and hydropower has a unique ability to constantly adapt production to meet society’s needs. However, hydropower has an impact on its immediate environment and the biodiversity of developed watercourses.
In many places, primarily in minor watercourses where hydropower’s contributions to energy production and the power balance is relatively small, local environmental remediation at plant locations can be prioritized. At Uniper, we support the trade-off between, on one hand, the importance of hydropower to the climate and electricity system, and on the other, the requirements for local environmental remediation agreed to by our politicians.
Unrestricted fishways past the powerplant
We are voluntarily investing in environmental improvements in several ways. For example, by installing fishways by several of our powerplants. At the moment, work is ongoing to install three fishways in the upper Faxälven River, which will create about 150 kilometers of unrestricted migratory routes in one of Sweden’s major regulated watercourses.
In addition to these voluntary initiatives, all power companies are obligated to compensate for encroachments caused by hydro power construction, in accordance with the terms and conditions for each power plant. This may involve various operational measures or adjustments, as well as district taxes and fishing fees. These funds are earmarked for increasing the quality of life around the watercourses in various ways. We pay approximately SEK 20 million in such fees annually.
Eight hydropower companies, including Uniper, have taken the initiative to launch an environmental fund to improve the aquatic environments of Swedish hydro powerplants. The fund’s mission is to finance environmental measures to enable Sweden’s hydro powerplants to fulfill modern environmental conditions. The Hydroelectric Environmental Fund is one of Sweden’s largest financiers of investments in the environment.
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Powerplants and eels
European eel stocks are seriously endangered and the EU’s Eel Regulation highlights measures such as reduced fishing, improved migratory options for bypassing powerplants and other migratory obstacles, as well as the introduction of eel fry to reverse the trend. One method that Uniper is working with is to capture and transfer the eels past any powerplants they need to pass to reach the sea. The first powerplant in the country to use this technique was the Ätrafors powerplant in Ätran. The measure is part of Krafttag Ål, which is a collaboration between the Swedish Agency for Marine and Water Management and major power companies, aimed facilitating more eels to reach the Sargasso Sea.
The eels spawn and die in the Sargasso Sea, north-east of Cuba. After the larvae are hatched, they travel with the Gulf Stream to the coasts of Europe. It is a journey that takes anywhere from ten months to three years. At this stage, they are known as glass eels. Many remain in the coastal regions, while others continue their migration up rivers and streams. Gradually, they develop a yellowish pigmentation and are called yellow eels.
Some 10 to 20 years later, the eels change again and are called silver eels. This is when they begin their long journey back to their birthplace in the Sargasso Sea, where they spawn and subsequently die.
Remissyttrande gällande förvaltningsplan för ål
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Helping eels migrate safely past our hydropower plants
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Since 2011, Uniper has operated a trapping facility in the Mörrum River to protect migrating silver eels. An oblique grating in front of the water intake prevents the eels from entering the turbines. Instead, they pass through small openings and are guided by negative pressure into a collection container.
The eels are then transported by road past six hydropower plants and released near the estuary, allowing them to continue their natural migration.
Similar facilities are already in place in the Mörrum River, Ätran and Emån, and more are being planned. The technology has been developed together with researchers at Karlstad University and is an effective solution for enabling safe downstream fish migration.
The pros and cons of hydropower
The energy supply should always be viewed from different perspectives. As an energy source, hydropower has its pros and cons. To reduce negative environmental impact on biodiversity as a consequence of hydroelectricity generation, voluntary and statutory measures are requisite and desirable for power companies that accept social responsibility. As an electricity producer, another critical factor for us – from the perspective of the climate and environment – is to utilize a technology that, in principle, enables the generation of renewable and emissions-free electricity. Global climate change is one of the most important environmental issues of our time, and hydropower can help climate goals to be achieved at both a national and a global level.
Sweden’s energy supply has largely shifted from fossil fuels to hydro and nuclear power, which means that Sweden is now among the OECD countries with the lowest carbon emissions. The global picture differs somewhat with around 80% of the energy used derived from fossil fuels. Furthermore, hydropower is easy to vary, which facilitates the expansion of other forms of intermittent electricity generation, such as renewable wind and solar power. Hydropower is the de facto enabler for the increased presence of other renewable forms of electricity generation within our electricity system. Quite simply, our hydropower plants in Sweden contribute to the attainment of global climate goals.
Hydropower in the community
To prevent and limit the adverse consequences, we work proactively with environmental improvement measures that include research and technological development, and engage in dialog and partnerships with government agencies, as well as environmental organizations and local residents. What is common to all our environmental measures is that they fit within the strategy on environmental measures for hydropower, which was jointly developed by the Swedish Agency for Marine and Water Management and the Swedish Energy Agency.
