In a final push, several of the big power companies in Norway have turned directly to all the members of the EU Parliament. In a letter signed by Eviny, Statkraft, Energi Noreg, Småkraftforeninga and 40 other companies, they ask the parliament to put aside the recommendation that says that newly built hydropower plants and existing small power plants should not be considered sustainable or taken into account in the climate calculation. The European Parliament will vote on the matter at the plenary meeting in Strasbourg tomorrow, Tuesday. – This should be a procedural error, otherwise the EU is demonstrating such a lack of understanding of the facts that it is simply frightening, says Marius Arion Nilsen, spokesperson for energy policy in the FRP. But the proposal is real, and it is not the first time that EU powers will impose stricter restrictions and environmental requirements on hydropower. The Ministry of Petroleum and Energy responds to State Secretary Andreas Bjelland Eriksen: – We have noted the proposed changes to the ENVI committee in the sustainability criteria for hydropower, and the input in the industry related to these. We are also aware that even renewable energy production such as hydropower can have environmental consequences. Nevertheless, I believe that we have the necessary environmental regulations for hydropower in place in, for example, the Water Directive. Hydropower is the main source of renewable energy production in Norway, and accounts for 88 percent of Norwegian production capacity. Norwegian power companies are asking the EU Parliament to put aside the recommendation that says that newly built hydropower plants should not be considered sustainable. Photo: Jean-Francois Badias / AP Great opposition in Eastern Europe In parts of Europe, especially in the East and the Balkans, there is great opposition to hydropower development. This time the dispute is over two specific additional proposals to the report on the Renewable Energy Directive. The two additions were originally promoted by EU parliamentarians from Slovakia and Romania. The proposal has since been moderated in the Energy Committee. Three years ago, the Norwegian authorities mobilized around construction when the revision of the EU’s classification system (the taxonomy) suggested that Norwegian hydropower should no longer be considered sustainable. The rationale for the EU was “the significant natural interventions that this form of renewable energy entails”. The taxonomy exists to manage investments in the direction of sustainable operations. – Should there be no end? The Norwegian work was crowned with a temporary victory in May 2021 when hydropower nevertheless fell within the EU’s definition of sustainable activity. Now the status is in play again. – Should there be no end? Not until the worst proposals from the taxonomy are prevented before we have new attacks on small power, says Øystein Grundt, who is special advisor for hydropower at the Small Power Association. This is what they say about the “blacklisting” of hydropower Josiane Kremer, Statkraft – Nordic hydropower differs from the majority of European hydropower with its contribution to balancing the power system through storage and flexibility. These properties are important in the energy transition and phasing in of non-flexible renewable power. It is therefore important that we ensure that this is taken into account in the framework conditions applicable to hydropower. Statkraft considers the proposed amendment to be an unnecessary burden on hydropower because environmental and sustainability expectations are already covered by other existing regulations. Bård Ludvig Thorheim, Høgre – The government must be forward-leaning and on guard against those proposals which always come from below in the EU system and which stand out as systematic attacks on hydropower. At a time like now, when Europe is crying out for more renewable energy from reliable sources, it could not possibly be the right time to propose that new hydropower should not be subsidized where such is the offer, and that it should not count towards the renewable targets. When it is also proposed that new small power per definition should not be considered a sustainable energy source, even if they are built with modern environmental conditions, then the sub-committees in the EU are on a wild path in our view. Sofie Marhaug, Raudt – It is typical that Norwegian hydropower is penalized in the EU system. Few countries there have the same dependence on hydropower as Norway. Norwegian hydropower is a very, very climate-friendly source of energy, and it is tragic if it is not made visible. At the same time, we have to consider that massive development of hydropower also has major environmental impacts, so a system that puts pressure on large and important waterways, with the ecosystems that belong to them, will also be very, very bad. Marius Arion Nilsen, Frp – Alarm bells should ring both in Brussels and in the government offices here at home when you see the proposed additions. European countries are clamoring for Norwegian energy to break free from Russian gas. Then it is not up to you to have a system that wrongly classifies Norwegian hydropower as unsustainable. Here I expect the government to immediately establish a dialogue, put pressure on the EU and say that the new additions are unacceptable. Atle Simonsen, communications manager at Lyse AS – We support the views expressed in the letter to the European Parliament. A corresponding signal comes from Høgre, by Bård Ludvig Thorheim: – The Water Directive provides a workable balance between taking care of important water values and sustainable use of the resources. We see no reasonable reason to create an alternative set of regulations for hydropower as proposed here, he says. Whether the supplementary proposal should be adopted tomorrow, the last word has not yet been said. It is in the negotiations between the Council and Parliament that the final text is shaped. From the Norwegian environmental movement, the view on Norwegian hydropower is more ambivalent. – Not all Norwegian hydropower is environmentally friendly, and many plants have a long way to go before they can be characterized as environmentally friendly. The power industry and Norwegian authorities should take the consequences of that, not try to lobby around, says Truls Gulowsen, who is the leader of the Nature Conservation Association. – This is about taking care of life in the river; on salmon, aure and mussel. Then we cannot accept strange interpretations based on the interests of the energy lobby, says Christian Steel, general secretary of Sabima. – Not all Norwegian hydropower is environmentally friendly, says Truls Gulowsen, who is the leader of the Nature Conservation Association. Photo: Rushda Syed / news – I hope they will take the objections on board Rune Indrøy is executive director for communications and public relations in Eviny. He says to news that “hydropower as renewable, reliable and regulated energy is underestimated in the EU’s energy policy” and that the two proposals illustrate this. – It is our hope that the popularly elected EU politicians will take on board the objections of a collective European hydropower industry. Unbalanced environmental requirements directed at hydropower will delay the European transition to a renewable energy system, he says. Director for renewables and the environment at Energi Noreg, Eivind Heløe, is also hopeful. – We are not surprised that forces are trying to compete for our breakthrough on behalf of the most efficient and flexible renewable source – hydropower. We still have faith that our good arguments will prevail in the end.
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Norway mobilizes against “blacklisting” of hydropower – news Vestland
