The high water levels in western Småland have caused concern among power plant owners in Småland, according to Sune Haraldsson, vice chairman of the Småland Hydroelectric Association. At the same time, increased water flows can be something you have to get used to.
- We have seen trends in recent years that there will be ever-increasing flows and that the spring flood will come in January instead of April, which is normal, he says.
The high water flows mean that the power plants cannot produce as much electricity as usual because the water fall height before and after the turbine becomes too small, which reduces production.
The owners work together to get the water out- Our members are doing their best to get rid of the water, but at the same time, there is not much to do when there is a lot of rainfall. Right now we see that water levels have fallen in some places, but many of our members are still struggling with high flows, ”says Sune Haraldsson.
This is not the first time the region has been affected by large amounts of rainfall and high water flows. In 2004, many power plants in Småland measured twice the amount of water measured in winter, but since the rainfall then came during the summer, vegetation and sunshine could help reduce the water volumes.
The Småland Hydroelectric Association now recommends that its members cooperate with each other in order to jointly try to reduce water flows in dams and watercourses, and to continuously monitor that the dams of the power plants continue to withstand the pressure from the water bodies.