| World news Global Global Hydropower Day to be held 11 October 2022


The International Hydropower Association has announced that a new Global Hydropower Day will take place on Tuesday 11 October 2022, and is encouraging the industry to to share case studies and personal stories to shine a light on the positive impacts of sustainable hydropower on people and communities around the world.


“Sustainable hydropower is a clean, green, modern and affordable


energy source that has significant environmental and social benefits and has multiple positive impacts on people and communities across the world,” said EddieRich, CEO of the International Hydropower Association (IHA). “Hydropower’s flexibility and energy storage services enable the fast growth of wind and solar, and it delivers affordable energy that will continue to bring benefits for many generations to come. But it is more than just an energy source. “Whether by mitigating the effects of climate change, creating new career opportunities, advancing livelihoods, improving living standards, driving economic growth or managing precious water resources, there are many ways that sustainable hydropower is positively impacting people and communities.


“In a world that is grappling with the challenge of meeting net zero


and reducing our reliance on fossil fuels, sustainable hydropower has an invaluable role in future energy systems as a clean, green, modern and affordable solution to climate change. “At the same time, we must acknowledge that any large infrastructure project that requires land use change will have an impact. Going forward, the only acceptable hydropower is sustainable hydropower, and that should be measured by projects certifying against the multi-stakeholder Hydropower Sustainability Standard. This will ensure that all hydropower will make the best of its positive impacts and minimise its negative ones. “ For Global Hydropower Day this year, we are working with


progressive organisations in the sustainable hydropower industry to highlight the positive impacts we have achieved together for people and communities.” Visit hydropower.org/globalday to find out more about how to


get involved. You can join the social media conversation onGlobal Hydropower Day using the hashtags #GlobalHydropowerDay and#WithHydropower.


Switzerland


Nant de Drance placed into operation After 14 years of work and intensive testing, the Nant de Drance pumped storage power plant in Valais, Switzerland, was placed into operation on 1 July 2022. The 900MW project is set to play a key role in the stabilisation of the Swiss and European electricity grids, contributing towards the security of supply of electricity in Switzerland. Nant de Drance SA and its stakeholders Alpiq, SFR, IWB and FMV are to officially inaugurate the project in September 2022. Located 600m below ground in a cavern between the Emosson and Vieux Emosson reservoirs in the Finhaut municipality of Valais, the Nant de Drance power plant features six pump turbines with a capacity of 150MW each. The highly flexible machines make it possible to switch from pumping at full power to turbining at full power in less than five minutes. The volume of water passing through the Nant de Drance turbines, 360m3


a second, corresponds


to the flow of the Rhône at Geneva in summer. The upper reservoir of Vieux Emosson holds 25 million m3


of water, which represents a


storage capacity of 20 million kWh. These characteristics allow Nant de Drance to play a crucial role in stabilising the electric grid. At the peak of construction, up to 650


workers worked on the construction site and some 60 companies came together to realise this structure in the Alps at a cost of around 2 billion Swiss francs. Situated at the heart of the mountain, the power house cavern measuring 194m long, 52m high and 32m wide required the excavation of 400,000m3


of rock and the drilling of 17 km of tunnels. The Vieux Emosson


dam located at 2200m altitude was raised by 21.5m in order to double the capacity of the reservoir and thus provide adequate storage capacity for the facility. In order to minimise its environmental impact, Nant de Drance worked closely with environmental organisations right from the earliest stages of the project. Fourteen projects at a total cost of twenty-two million Swiss francs have been, are or will soon be completed to offset the environmental impact of the construction of the pumped storage power plant and the very high- voltage line connecting it to the power grid. Most of the measures aim to recreate specific


biotopes locally, especially wetlands, in order to encourage recolonisation of the area by certain rare or endangered animal and plant species in Switzerland.


Africa More hydro needed in Africa, says report


An additional 40GW of hydropower is needed in Africa by 2030, a new report from the International Energy Agency (IEA) has suggested, which would require doubling investment, with a significant chunk needed from the private sector. The Africa Energy Outlook 2022, which includes the Sustainable Africa Scenario (SAS), explores how to transform Africa’s energy sector to achieve development goals, and to shift to more affordable and cleaner sources of energy. To achieve the scenario of 40GW more


hydropower, Eddie Rich, Chief Executive of the International Hydropower Association, says that a dramatic increase in hydropower investment and development is needed, with only currently 14GW of an identified pipeline of 110GW of


projects currently under construction on the continent. “The IEA’s report shows the vital role that


hydropower can and must play in enabling Africa’s sustainable development,” Rich said. “Its Sustainable Africa Scenario shows that an additional 40GW of new hydropower is needed by 2030, with a huge increase in private investment required. However, the pace of development needs to dramatically increase to achieve this. “To unlock private investment governments and policy makers need to reward the vital low carbon flexibility provided by hydropower. Projects can and must be developed sustainability, with the Hydropower Sustainability Standard providing a benchmark by which to assess projects.” The report says that hydropower remains a cornerstone in the provision of affordable and dispatchable electricity, with the use of natural gas and coal gradually expected to be replaced by hydropower, wind and solar PV in the years ahead.


Rich said that hydropower’s flexibility and energy storage services will become increasingly important as the shares of wind and solar PV in the power system grow: “The increase in variable renewables, such as solar PV and wind, in Africa will lead to an increased need for system flexibility and energy storage. Sustainable hydropower can provide these services and at an affordable cost – it is a huge untapped resource in Africa.” Modernising the ageing African Hydropower fleet could also help to meet the IEA’s SAS scenario.


Sixty per cent of the hydropower installed capacity in the region is over 20 years old. To


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