WSHPDR_2013_Final_Report-updated_version

4.2 Northern Europe
European Small Hydropower Association, Stream Map
Introduction to the region
There are 18 countries or territories located in Northern
Europe and small hydropower is used in 10 of these
countries (see table 1). Eight of these countries are
European Union (EU) Member States, Iceland and
Norway are not members. Within this region, there are
further eight islands / territories that do not use small
hydropower, namely Åland Islands, Channel Islands,
Faeroe Islands, Guernsey, Isle of Man, Jersey, Sark,
Svalbard and Jan Mayen Islands.
Table 1
Overview of countries in Northern Europe
Country
Total
population
(million)
Rural
population
(%)
Electricity
access
(%)
Electrical
capacity
(MW)
Electricity
generation
(GWh/year)
Hydropower
capacity
(MW)
Hydropower
generation
(GWh/year)
Denmark ac 5.54 13 100 12 339 38 790 9.3 21
Estonia ac 1.27 31 99 2 258 12 960 8.2 30
Finland a 5.26 15 100 16 372 83 090 3 100.0 12 764
Iceland a 0.31 7 100 2 579 17 059 1 883.0 12 283
Ireland d 4.72 38 100 9 130 27 258 249.0 725
Latvia abc 2.19 32 .. 2 470 3 569 1 500.0 3 520
Lithuania a 3.53 33 .. 3 811 12 270 129.0 400
Norway ae 4.88 21 100 31 438 124 360 29 973.0 117 900
Sweden a 9.10 15 100 35 701 129 400 16 200.0 65 300
UK ac 63.05 20 100 90 208 346 000 1 649.0 5 694
Total 99.85 - - 206 306 794 756 54 700.5 218 637
Sources:
a. International Journal on Hydropower and Dams 1
b. Central Statistical Bureau of Latvia 2 3
c. World Bank 4
d. Indexmundi 5
e. Norwegian Water Resources and Energy Directorate 6
Note: UK - United Kingdom. Estonia’s electrification rate is from the year 2000.
The climate in Northern Europe is impacted by the Gulf
Stream and in those areas it is mostly temperate due to
the maritime influence. In the Nordic States the climate
is characterized by more Arctic influences with cold and
snowy conditions in the northern areas of Finland,
Sweden, Norway and particularly Iceland. This area is
defined by the surrounding volcanic islands,
mountainous environments and a diverse range of
vegetation.
The national power systems of Denmark, Sweden,
Norway and Finland are already interconnected and
there are also interconnectors linking these countries
with Germany, Poland, Estonia, Russia and the
Netherlands. Additionally, the United Kingdom of Great
Britain and Northern Ireland (hereafter the United
Kingdom) has interconnectors with France and the
Netherlands. Within the country, Northern Ireland is
interconnected with Scotland over the Moyle
interconnector. Since 2012, the East-West
interconnector now links the electricity grids of Ireland
and the United Kingdom. 7
Small hydropower definition
The 10 countries in Northern Europe apply various small
hydropower definitions as shown in table 2.
Table 2
Classification of small hydropower in Northern Europe
Country
Small
(MW)
Mini
(MW)
Micro
(kW)
Pico
(kW)
Denmark a ..
Estonia a up to 1
Finland a 1-10 0.1-1.0 10-100 up to 10
Iceland b 0.3-1.0 0.1-0.3 up to 100
Ireland a up to 10
Latvia a up to 2
Lithuania a up to 10
Norway a 1-10 0.1-1.0 up to 100
Sweden a up to 1.5
United Kingdom a up to 5
ESHA and EC c 1-10 0.1-1.0 5-100 up to 5
Sources:
a. European Small Hydropower Association 9
b. Mannvit 10
c. European Commission 11
Notes: ESHA – European Small Hydropower Association, EC –
European Commission
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