Abstract
Hydropower has been core in the nation-building process of several countries. This
includes Sweden in which it currently supplies around 50% of the electricity and particularly Norway where almost all electricity is generated from hydropower. In these
countries, as well as many others, the provision of hydroelectricity enabled urban and
rural development, industrialization and other core value-added activities. However,
it was realized with significant environmental costs, particularly at the local level. Traditionally, there has been a divide in perceptions on hydropower production, in which
stakeholders tend to box it either as an environmental hazard or as a socio-economic
benefit. During the last century, these diverging perspectives have influenced political
and regulatory approaches as well as the perceived role of hydropower at large. Different attempts to bridge this divide have been made. This is not least true today, considering the role of hydropower as a low-carbon solution, and a potential capacity to
balance increased intermittency from other renewables. These features of contributing
to the global good of mitigating climate change need to be assessed against the potential negative environmental impacts on habitat loss and biodiversity, diverse recreational use and landscape perceptions at large. These concerns triggered social mobilization
and even became instrumental in establishing environmental NGOs with the core focus
of protesting against hydropower projects. Contrasting and often conflicting opinions
are still prevailing, as exemplified with the implementation of the EU Water Framework
Directive (WFD). However, there are current signs and new knowledge available suggesting that we are moving into a new era of hydropower governance.
includes Sweden in which it currently supplies around 50% of the electricity and particularly Norway where almost all electricity is generated from hydropower. In these
countries, as well as many others, the provision of hydroelectricity enabled urban and
rural development, industrialization and other core value-added activities. However,
it was realized with significant environmental costs, particularly at the local level. Traditionally, there has been a divide in perceptions on hydropower production, in which
stakeholders tend to box it either as an environmental hazard or as a socio-economic
benefit. During the last century, these diverging perspectives have influenced political
and regulatory approaches as well as the perceived role of hydropower at large. Different attempts to bridge this divide have been made. This is not least true today, considering the role of hydropower as a low-carbon solution, and a potential capacity to
balance increased intermittency from other renewables. These features of contributing
to the global good of mitigating climate change need to be assessed against the potential negative environmental impacts on habitat loss and biodiversity, diverse recreational use and landscape perceptions at large. These concerns triggered social mobilization
and even became instrumental in establishing environmental NGOs with the core focus
of protesting against hydropower projects. Contrasting and often conflicting opinions
are still prevailing, as exemplified with the implementation of the EU Water Framework
Directive (WFD). However, there are current signs and new knowledge available suggesting that we are moving into a new era of hydropower governance.
