Sustainable development |
Aligning with good practice
The International Hydropower Association has been engaging with various stakeholders to help build capacity in sustainable hydropower throughout the Western Balkans. With industry- wide sustainability standards and tools available to help guide responsible developments, there is said to be no excuse for hydro projects in 2021 not to be aligned with good environmental and social standards and practices. Suzanne Pritchard reports
ACROSS EUROPE’S WESTERN BALKANS region, demand is growing for the reliable, renewable energy that hydropower can provide. Yet, according to the International Hydropower Association (IHA), local communities can be divided over hydro’s merits, with some campaigners seeking to bring a halt to new projects. For national licensing authorities, the challenge is to assess whether proposed hydropower schemes are sustainable for the environment and local communities. To support authorities, investors and developers to implement international good practices in hydropower development, the IHA, the Albanian Power Corporation (KESH) and the Swiss government’s State Secretariat for Economic Affairs (SECO) have launched a new initiative in the Western Balkans. The three-year project will see IHA Sustainability, the organisation’s non-profit subdivision, work with project developers, alongside regulators, investors and civil society organisations from Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, North Macedonia, Montenegro and Serbia. Alain Kilajian, Senior Sustainability Specialist at IHA,
stated: “One of the main outcomes of this programme of support will be to ensure local stakeholders from the Western Balkans are better equipped with
the necessary tools to understand and assess the sustainability performance of hydropower projects in line with internationally recognised guidelines. It is hoped that by reaching key decision-makers as well as NGOs, the training programme will strengthen institutional capacity and widen awareness about the good practice requirements expected of all hydropower projects, as well as providing the opportunity to discuss important sustainability concerns in the region. The aim is to ensure hydropower projects comply with the Hydropower Sustainability Tools, a set of guidelines and assessment tools developed by governments, industry and social and environmental NGOs. These tools are aligned with lending criteria used by international institutions such as the World Bank and International Finance Corporation.
World Commission on Dams “They say it takes 21 years for a child to grow up.
Well, it’s been 21 years since the World Commission on Dams, which highlighted why so much of this programme is important,” IHA’s Chief Executive Officer Eddie Rich says. “I know that some environmental NGOs and community activists in the Balkans
Right: The Drin River in Albania. There is enormous potential for further optimisation of hydropower assets across the region
42 | August 2021 |
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