Spotlight |
Above left: IHA President Malcolm Turnbull was joined by Joko Widodo, President of the Republic of Indonesia, at the opening ceremony of the 2023 World Hydropower Congress in Bali. In the lead-up to COP28, the Congress set the platform for the role of sustainable hydropower within the global climate debate. It sent a clear message that sustainable hydropower must be the backbone of national strategies to build thriving, low carbon economies bolstered by clean, renewable energy
Above right: European energy leaders met on the 31 January to discuss the future of hydropower and the power grid with 19 partner organisations behind the XFLEX HYDRO research and innovation project. XFLEX HYDRO brought together internationally- recognised expertise to study and demonstrate the project’s premise – that it is possible to extend the flexibility of existing hydropower plants using advanced software solutions and modest technological upgrades
option is often to fall back on fossil fuels. This
licensing process must be accelerated by improving the efficiency of these processes wherever possible without compromising sustainability.
4. Incorporate hydropower sustainability practices into government regulation and financial sector obligations Accelerating development does not mean cutting corners. Application of best sustainability practices, built and governed through multi-stakeholder consensus such as the Hydropower Sustainability Standard, should be either integrated into regulatory frameworks or referred to as a preferred tool to maximise the benefits of projects and mitigate any negative impacts. “Reaching net zero is not about ‘stop the world, I
want to get off’. There doesn’t need to be a trade-off between growth and cutting emissions. Countries, like Indonesia and mine – Australia – whose industries have been heavily reliant on coal, can have a clear path to continued growth. The Bali Statement on Powering Sustainable Growth sets out…priorities for how to go about that,” IHA President Malcolm Turnbull said. “What the statement makes clear is that the energy transition will not be possible without sustainable hydropower as the backbone of future energy systems,” he added.
Alliance Another step forwards towards sustainable
hydropower has come in the form of the Hydropower Sustainability Alliance (HSA) which was also launched at the recent hydropower congress. A multi-stakeholder non-profit organisation
governed by a combination of public and private sectors, the HSA aims to enhance transparency in the sector through its rigorous sustainability assessment, certification system and robust capacity building programme.
Helen Barbour-Bourne of Australian company GHD, one of the IHA’s newest members, believes that the HSA and the IHA’s sustainability standard will be vital tools in providing financiers with confidence in their sustainable long-term hydropower investments. Calling for a full-picture approach to valuing investments in pumped storage hydropower, Barbour-Bourne said that sustainability and life-cycle
10 | February 2024 |
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CO2
emissions need to be valued from a market
perspective when assessing comparative storage technologies.
“It’s not sufficient to rely solely on capital expenditure
and revenue as metrics for capacity investments, especially in a world where we are rapidly trying to decarbonise,” she said, explaining that up to 70% of the CAPEX for a pumped storage project will be spent within the local economy and supply chain, engaging indigenous communities and re-skilling the workforce away from heavy carbon industries. In addition, such local investment is three times more than that of comparative storage technologies. As Eddie Rich from the IHA said: “GHD understands that we need to raise our collective voices to ensure that markets incentivise investments in sustainable hydropower or we will not meet net-zero targets. As an innovative engineering services company, I am delighted to welcome GHD to the IHA family.”
Student power Another recent announcement sees the IHA joining
forces with Student Energy to power youth integration into the sustainable hydropower community. Helen Watts, Executive Director of Student Energy which works with a network of 50,000 young people from over 120 countries, said: “Youth are at the forefront of the sustainable energy transition and must be empowered to be agents of change. We are excited to partner with the IHA to ensure that young people who are working towards sustainable and just hydropower solutions have access to the industry knowledge, tools and networks they need to drive action within the sector” The partnership will provide opportunities for the Student Energy’s youth members to connect with the IHA membership for knowledge sharing, career development, advocacy, mentorship and networking opportunities, with the hope of mobilising a new generation of sustainable hydropower specialists to help double capacity by 2050.
More information
All information and illustrations for this article are courtesy of the International Hydropower Association
www.hydropower.org
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