The work is relevant for the INNOVATION category because as hydropower development continues along rivers around the world, helping migratory fish to come back to their natural environments has become urgent. Fortum+FishHeart brought technological innovation to provide migratory fish access to their natural spawning grounds. This innovative project restores biodiversity, helps support local fishing communities, and solves a 200-year-old challenge allowing fish to pass by across dams and move up the river stream.

Finland is said to be the country of a thousand lakes, it's also the country with the most bodies of water in the world, its freshwater areas cover 33,000 km2, accounting for 10% of the country's surface area, 31,119 km of coastline, 82,000 km2 of sea, and 647 rivers. Throughout history, communities have been built by those rivers, since they have provided food and energy for the developing nation. Hydropower is by far the largest renewable worldwide, producing over twice as much energy as wind, and over four times as much as solar. Sadly, rivers and other ecosystems that provide essential habitats to freshwater fish are under increasing pressure from global hydropower development. While dams can provide flood protection, energy supply, and water security, they also pose a significant threat to freshwater species. Dams block fish from moving along their natural pathways between feeding and spawning grounds, causing interruptions in their life cycles that limit their abilities to reproduce. As hydropower development continues along river basins around the world, helping migratory fish to come back to their natural environments has become urgent.

As one of the most sustainable energy companies in Europe, Fortum looks to reduce its environmental impact wherever it can. Hydropower is one of the key renewable energy sources in the Nordics, and Fortum operates around 150 hydropower plants in Finland and Sweden altogether. Since it was created in 1878, hydroenergy has been by far the largest renewable energy source worldwide. Although it provides low-carbon, clean, eco-friendly electricity, the hydropower dams prevent thousands of fish from returning home every year. A problem which has been unsolved for almost two centuries. This creates a conflict for Fortum, for which they are also criticized by the public and in the media. Therefore, they need to find solutions that help them make existing renewable energy sources even more sustainable by enhancing their impact on biodiversity. We wanted the public to recognize hydropower as an eco-friendly way to produce energy.

IDEA: A floating hydraulic fishway that enables fish to migrate to spawn past dams. To successfully allow migratory fish to pass by the dam, it was necessary to recognize and differentiate the species that are migratory from the ones that are not.

PURPOSE: Creating a sustainable solution to preserve the European migratory fish, connect with businesses interested in biodiversity-friendly generated energy, and help fishing communities at the same time.

PRIMARY TARGET GROUP: Businesses, companies, and investors interested in sustainable-generated energy. By restoring the ecosystems affected by human alteration, we created a sustainable solution to preserve the European migratory fish, materializing new B2B leads and helping fishing communities at the same time.

SECONDARY TARGET GROUP: General public, positioning Fortum as a company where people, businesses, and nature live together.

Floating Platform Development

Jan 2022

Leppikoski Hydropower Plant equipped with the Floating Platform

30/08/2022

Launch of Social Media Campaign on Facebook, Instagram

01/07/2023

World Energy Council Documentary

Produced by BBC Story Works Productions, YouTube

05/09/2023

THIS IS HOW IT WORKS:

1. Attraction Flow: The device produces an additional attraction flow that helps fish find their way up the river.

2. Smart Detection: AI detects fish and collects real-time data and photos of the migration.

3. Elevation: In the tube, fish are propelled upstream over the hydropower plant unharmed, even longer distances and steep ascents.

A smart detection process collects the migration data in real-time. If the specimen does not belong to migratory species, the tunnel sends the fish back. If the specimen is a migratory fish, the underwater tunnel propels it safely and unharmed, to the other side of the dam.

Over 13,300 fish are transferred per year.

22 species preserved in Finland.

Giving a second chance for Oulujärvi lake trout, an endangered species.

To be adopted in 20 countries in 2024.

Patent active in 16 countries, patent I process in 38 more countries.

US Department of Energy grants 1,3 million USD in funding for FishHeart.

The Natural Resources Institute Finland (LUKE) is conducting a study on the size of the lake trout population that is migrating upstream towards the power plant and the effectiveness of the water highway.

Restoration of the habitats and breeding grounds of the lake trout across the Seitenoikea hydropower plant located upstream of the Leppikoski power plant.