– The testing of the power plants needs to continue, but the assessment is that twelve months are required to analyze the situation and implement the changes that may be necessary, says Climate and Environment Minister Romina Pourmokhtari (L) at a press conference.
In the Tidö Agreement, the government and SD state that the re-examination of environmental permits for hydropower must be paused until it has been mapped out the consequences of the re-examination for electricity production.
Now the government announces that the break will be twelve months.
Fast treatment
Applications that would have been submitted on February 1 next year must instead be submitted on February 1, 2024. All later dates are also pushed forward one year.
The regulation changes are to enter into force on 30 January.
– We are extremely keen that Sweden’s subscribers should not be affected by disconnection, but we are also keen to implement measures at the hydropower plants so that their negative impact on the environment is reduced, says Pourmokhtari.
The proposal is already being sent today for referral, and the referral bodies have one week to come in with their views.
The concern about the impact that both hydropower and other parts of society have on the environment remains, according to Romina Pourmokthari.
– We are lagging behind in the work we need to do for our ecosystems. But what we see right now is that these permit tests do not ring well with the energy situation we have.
She hopes that during the break the hydropower plants will produce even better data for the permit review, which she believes will continue.
“Every hour counts”
Energy and Industry Minister Ebba Busch (KD) emphasizes that the risk of disconnection went from low to real during the autumn.
– We are in a situation where every kilowatt hour counts, says Busch.
That makes hydropower very important, she believes.
-Hydropower is the fossil-free backbone of the electricity system and secures our electricity supply both when the sun is not shining and the wind is not blowing and when we have the difficult situation that it is cold and the power has possibly gone out.
TT: Does the government want to expand hydropower?
– It is not subject to discussion today, now we manage the existing hydropower. But this shows that hydropower has characteristics that are unique and robust.