Criticism is growing against the sharply rising electricity price and more and more voices are now being raised demanding that the government act.
One of them is the organization Sweden’s Engineers, which wants the hydropower plants to be modernized and claims that this would lead to increased electricity production equivalent to a nuclear power reactor, and the organization wants the government to conduct a rapid investigation.
– We need more planable, fossil-free energy already now, says Ulrika Lindstrand, union chairperson of Sweden’s Engineers.
The Swedish Energy Agency has estimated that our electricity needs will double in ten years. Sweden’s engineers are therefore now demanding that hydropower be expanded. If done correctly, the hydropower’s output would be increased by 1,300 megawatts, which is the equivalent of an entire nuclear reactor.
In order for it to become a reality, the turbines and aggregates at the facilities must first be replaced.
Then the oldest hydropower plants are around 100 years old and there needs to be a modernization of the technology.
If this is done, the entire river system can function better as a whole and then you can get a greatly increased effect from the hydropower plants, according to Sweden’s Engineers, who now want the government to carry out a rapid investigation into the issue.
Cheaper than a nuclear reactor
– The advantage of upgrading existing hydropower is that it is already in place in the rivers. In addition, it is planable, fossil-free, renewable and balancing for the entire electricity system. The cost of upgrading the hydropower facilities is estimated at 35 billion, which is a third of the cost of a nuclear power reactor, says Ulrika Lindstrand, confederation chairwoman of Sweden’s Engineers.
The anglers are basically positive about the proposal, but point out that careful considerations regarding fish life and the river environment should be made before it can become a reality.