Master Thesis - Developing River Strategy

Developing Strategic River Management Plans

Background
Rivers play a vital role in ecosystems, energy production, water supply, and flood control. For hydropower companies, river management is not only about optimizing electricity generation but also about balancing environmental, social, and regulatory demands. As climate change increases hydrological variability, the need for adaptive and forward-looking river strategies becomes more urgent. Developing a comprehensive river strategy involves integrating hydrological data, stakeholder interests, regulatory frameworks, and long-term sustainability goals.

Objective
The objective of this thesis is to support the development of a strategic framework for river management that aligns with the operational, environmental, and regulatory needs of a hydropower company.

The project will:

• Analyse current river strategy approaches of different hydro companies and identify key challenges.

• Investigate how climate change, water rights, and biodiversity goals impact river strategy.

• Propose a structured approach to river strategy development.

• Optional: Develop guidelines to support decision-making in river strategy planning.

The outcome should help hydropower companies enhance resilience, regulatory compliance, and environmental stewardship.

Our offer

At Fortum we see a Thesis Project as a good way to get to know you during your study time and for you to learn more about Fortum and how our business is working. A Supervisor will be appointed to support and guide you through the Thesis Project and you will also create a network of people within the Company as well as with other Students doing their thesis with us.

For a well performed and approved work, we will provide a taxable lumpsum award.

This Thesis Project is preferably executed at our office in Stockholm/Solna.

Your qualifications

Master’s level students in one of the following programs:

• Sustainable Energy Engineering

• Environmental Engineering

• Water Resources Engineering

• Industrial Engineering

• Energy Systems

• Industrial Ecology

• Environmental Science with a technical focus

• Masters in economics or environmental law

Skills and Competencies:

• Understanding of hydrology, river basin management, or environmental systems

• Multi-viewpoint and holistic perspective

• Interest in sustainability, climate adaptation, and multi-stakeholder environments

• Strong analytical and communication skills

Interested?

To apply, register your CV and a personal letter of maximum one page or a Power Point presentation of maximum two slides, in our Recruitment Tool, latest by 23rd November 2025. Applications will be evaluated continuously and an applicant may be selected before this date.

The personal letter shall include an approach on how you would like to investigate the idea. Mark your application with the reference number HYG-182.

If you have General questions about Theses or Internship at Fortum, please address those to fortumcareers@fortum.com
Please note that we have more Master Thesis Projects open for application at our recruitment site.

To be selected, the applicant may need to go through a background clearance with a health examination which may include a drug test.

At Fortum, we are committed to building diverse teams where everyone feels included and is treated equally.

We are Fortum

Fortum is a Nordic energy company. We generate and deliver reliable energy to our customers and the Nordic energy system while at the same time helping industries decarbonise their processes and grow. Our core operations comprise efficient and best-inclass low-carbon power generation, customer services, and heating and cooling. Fortum’s power generation is already 99% from renewable or nuclear sources with one of the lowest specific CO2-emissions in Europe. We are guided by our ambitious SBTi-validated emission reduction targets on our way towards net-zero by 2040. For our ~4,500 employees, we commit to be a safe and inspiring workplace. Fortum's share is listed on Nasdaq Helsinki. fortum.com