| World news Global International leaders back landmark hydropower declaration


A bold new blueprint for sustainable hydropower was launched at the 2021 World Hydropower Congress with the support of governments, NGOs and international agencies. The San José Declaration on Sustainable Hydropower puts


forward a new set of fundamental principles and recommendations to drive forward hydropower’s contribution to global climate goals. It urges greater green investment in responsible hydropower development and places enhanced ESG performance expectations on the sector.


At the closing ceremony of the World Hydropower Congress, the declaration was handed over to COP26 President Alok Sharma to deliver to the United Nations Climate Change Conference in Glasgow in November. Sharma commented: “This Declaration is a first vital step in increasing the global deployment of hydropower, with solid principles to guide the developments of projects, and sound recommendations for governments and policy-makers developed in consultation with businesses, financial institutions and civil society. And this exemplifies the collaborative approach we need to make the clean energy transition a reality.” Named in honour of the Government of Costa Rica, the official host of the World Hydropower Congress, the San José Declaration states that “Sustainable hydropower is a clean, green, modern and affordable solution to climate change”. At the heart of the Declaration, which is issued by the International


Hydropower Association (IHA) as the Secretariat to the World Hydropower Congress, is a commitment to international good practice, emphasised by its central statement that “going forward, the only acceptable hydropower is sustainable hydropower”. “The San José Declaration on Sustainable Hydropower is going to provide the blueprint for the new generation of hydropower, the


construction and delivery of which is so critical if we are going to achieve the cut in emissions that we need,” commented Malcolm Turnbull, 29th Prime Minister of Australia. The Congress also saw the launch of the Hydropower Sustainability Standard, a new ESG certification scheme that is the first of its kind in the renewables sector. The Standard underpins the San José Declaration by providing a basis for defining international good practices in hydropower sustainability (see p10). The San José Declaration includes an unprecedented statement


by the global hydropower community that new projects should not be developed in UNESCO World Heritage Sites. It also takes new steps in committing to a duty of care in the development of hydropower projects that affect legally designated protected areas. This historic move was advanced by the International Hydropower Association (IHA), representing around 100 developers, operators and manufacturers that between them account for around a third of the world’s installed hydropower capacity. Other key factors addressed in the Declaration include how sustainable hydropower is a proven technology to strengthen wind and solar, how solar PV and wind can be integrated in hybrid projects, and how it can produce green hydrogen. It also proposes a “use it or lose it” stance, stressing that all dams should be beneficial. This is accompanied by a call for dams to be reviewed for decommissioning in cases where they no longer provide benefits to society, or have irreconcilable safety issues or adverse environmental impacts. The San José Declaration on Sustainable Hydropower was shaped


by a wide-ranging public consultation that took place over several months, culminating in the gathering of global decision-makers at the World Hydropower Congress.


Global


New report says hydropower needed to limit global warming will fall short by 300GW A new report by researchers from the International Hydropower Association (IHA) has found there will be an over 300GW shortfall in the amount of hydropower needed to limit dangerous global warming. The report – Hydropower 2050: Identifying


the next 850+ GW towards 2050 – assesses pathways to net zero modelled by the IEA and International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA), against current and future planned hydropower capacity.


Both IEA and IRENA models assess that in


order to keep global warming to below 2°C, around 850GW of new hydropower capacity will be required by 2050. More than 500GW of hydropower installations are in the pipeline worldwide, but this leaves a gape of more than 300GW says the report. For the more ambitious net zero target to limit temperature rise to below 1.5°C, more than 1200GW of additional hydropower capacity will be needed – leaving a gap of over 600GW. “Hydropower’s highly flexible, low carbon generation and storage capabilities will have an


essential part to play in the electricity grids of the future,” commented one of the report’s authors, Alex Campbell, Head of Research and Policy at IHA. “Our analysis shows that, even if we built all the 500+ GW of projects in the pipeline, we will still be a long way short of the sustainable hydropower required to keep global warming below 2 degrees, let alone achieve net zero emissions. Policy-makers need to take urgent action now to bridge this gap.” Among the more than 500GW in the pipeline, just 156GW of this is under construction, with another 165GW approved by regulators. The rest has been announced or is pending approval. This remains significantly below the contribution required from hydropower under the IEA and IRENA models to reach net zero emissions. In 2020, annual growth in installed capacity was just 1.6% – lower than the minimum 2% growth required.


Led by demand in China, the East Asia and Pacific region has 240GW of future projected capacity planned, permitted or under construction. The next few years could see sizeable growth in Africa’s hydropower capacity, with 118GW currently in the pipeline. In addition, South and Central Asia will see 91GW in additional capacity.


Gabon


Kinguele Aval hydropower plant in Gabon reaches financial close The 35MW Kinguele Aval hydropower plant in Gabon has reached financial close, with construction to start this year. The run-of-the-river project on the M’Bei River is being developed by Meridiam and FGIS. Mott MacDonald is the technical, environmental and social advisor on the project on behalf of the project lenders: the International Finance Corporation, African Development Bank, Development Bank of Southern Africa and the Emerging Africa Infrastructure Fund, acting through its duly authorised agent Ninety One. The plant will comprise of a 48m high, 250m long conventional concrete gravity dam with 210m long embankment dam, diverting water to a surface powerhouse, containing 3x12MW vertical axis Francis turbines, with a maximum flow rate of 90m3


/ecs. The hydropower plant underscores Gabon’s


‘Plan Stratégique Gabon Émergent’ that commits the Gabonese government to provide its people with affordable electricity. The government is also aiming for energy transition, displacing expensive and polluting thermal power through demonstrating a commercially


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