| Finance
locate the stations throughout the basin to measure evapotranspiration, a key measurement for determining consumptive water use. There are currently four of these stations in the Upper Basin, one placed in each of the Upper Basin states. Reclamation and the Upper Basin states, along with other partners, studied evapotranspiration in the Upper Basin from 2018 through 2020. The data that was collected and analyzed provided critical insight and demonstrated the need and value of expanding the data gathering ability. This funding helps further Drought Contingency
Planning activities in the Upper Colorado River Basin and is consistent with the obligations of the Secretary under the Colorado River Drought Contingency Plan Authorization Act (P.L. 116-14) and related agreements.
Earlier in August, the US Department of Energy’s (DOE) Water Power Technologies Office (WPTO) and the Minority-Serving Institutions STEM Research and Development Consortium (MSRDC) opened a $1.2 million funding opportunity to support promising, potentially high-impact water power research ideas from minority-serving colleges and universities. Inspired by its successful Seedlings and Saplings program for DOE national laboratories, WPTO is launching this program as part of its “Seedlings for Universities” initiative to seed research and development activities in academic institutions that do not have significant existing hydropower research portfolios. This opportunity seeks innovative and practical solutions to advance water power technologies. WPTO seeks applications for: New and innovative ideas to advance marine energy, including opportunities to engage blue economy markets and end users. This topic seeks projects that support WPTO’s Marine Energy Program goals and may include addressing technology challenges, engaging end users in the industry and the communities these technologies may be deployed in, and discovering and developing new use cases for marine energy integration. WPTO is also interested in research frameworks to help understand and mitigate socioeconomic risks of marine energy development. WPTO seeks projects that will provide the assessments of qualitative and quantitative social and economic data needed to understand potential risks and benefits of marine energy development for communities and local economies. Hydrologic and/or hydropower systems modeling for climate resilience. Changing climate and weather patterns can create significant challenges for water and power management. While widely available forecasting and prediction products help address management challenges, there remain significant opportunities for model improvements, new model development, and uncertainty analysis. WPTO seeks advancements in models and analytics that attempt to understand the impact of changing water availability and quality on hydropower and reservoir systems. Examples of this type of work include applications of artificial intelligence, machine learning, signal processing, decision making under deep uncertainty, or other approaches that improve data analysis.
This opportunity also includes an open topic that seeks ideas for research and development activities
that more broadly support objectives outlined in WPTO’s Multi-Year Program Plan. Concept papers were due September 12, 2023, followed by full proposals on October 13, 2023.
Flood funding Another sector that has seen growing finance
initiatives is flood protection. In June it was announced that about 300,000 people in Bosnia and Herzegovina will benefit from increased flood protection with support from new World Bank financing. The additional resources will help geographically
expand the first phase of the Sava and Drina Rivers Corridors Integrated Development Program in Bosnia and Herzegovina to include the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina and Brčko District. Financing for Republika Srpska was approved in August 2020. For years, Bosnia and Herzegovina has been at risk
of water hazards and natural disasters, which affect agriculture and human health through seasonal flooding and periods of drought. The projected impacts of climate change make the country increasingly vulnerable to more intense rainfalls and floods directly affecting the Drina and the Sava, the largest tributary of the Danube, the second-longest river in Europe. The additional World Bank financing of €37 million will help deliver much-needed infrastructure investments, such as dikes, dams, and water reservoirs, that support flood protection and improve environmental management in the country. “This project is a perfect example of enhancing Bosnia and Herzegovina’s climate resilience in times when environmental threats are stronger than ever,” said Christopher Sheldon, World Bank Country Manager for Bosnia and Herzegovina and Montenegro. “The project’s focus on enhancing regional cooperation, both in Bosnia and Herzegovina and in the Western Balkans, aligns perfectly with our vision of a greener and more prosperous future for the region.” The initiative is part of a larger program that covers
three riparian countries of the Sava and Drina rivers— Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, and Serbia. The integrated approach of this program combines funding for flood protection, environmental management, and port modernization activities to enhance connectivity along the Sava and Drina Rivers Corridors.
References
https://www.ifc.org/en/insights- reports/2023/scaling-up-private- finance-for-clean-energy-in-edmes
www.waterpowermagazine.com | September 2023 | 41
Above: Drina river in Bosnia and Herzegovina. 300,000 people in the country will benefit from increased flood protection with support from new World Bank financing
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