| World news Global
IEA’s Fatih Birol calls for renewed focus on hydropower: “the forgotten giant of electricity”
The Executive Director of the International Energy Agency (IEA), Fatih Birol, has renewed his call for the global energy community to give hydropower the attention it deserves, warning that the sector remains “the forgotten giant of electricity.” In a LinkedIn post published on October 17, Birol said that four
years after the IEA released its major report on hydropower, the technology continues to be left out of key energy policy discussions despite its central role in global electricity systems. “Four years ago, the International Energy Agency (IEA) released a major report on hydropower. It noted that hydro is often left out of conversations on energy, despite its huge role in electricity systems around the world. At the time, I described hydropower as ‘the forgotten giant of electricity’. Unfortunately, this is still the case today,” Birol wrote. Hydropower remains the third largest source of power generation worldwide, after coal and natural gas, generating around 4,500 terawatt-hours of electricity last year — 14% of global supply. “That’s similar to all the power produced worldwide by solar and wind combined, and 50% more than the amount generated from nuclear plants,” Birol noted. Hydropower, Birol said, is uniquely placed to help countries meet rising electricity demand as the world enters what the IEA has described as a “new Age of Electricity.” “Hydropower can help meet this increasing power consumption as populations and economies grow, electrification advances and investment pours into digital infrastructure like data centres,” he said. Birol also highlighted hydropower’s role as a dispatchable low- emissions source of electricity with “unmatched capabilities when it comes to flexibility.” “Hydro plants can quickly adjust their generation up and down – and can be stopped and restarted relatively smoothly. This enables them to quickly adapt to shifts in demand, helping to keep the lights
on in times of strain – and usually at a lower cost than most nuclear or coal plants,” he wrote. He added that hydropower is a crucial partner to renewables: “In periods when the sun doesn’t shine or the wind doesn’t blow, hydro can quickly and cheaply fill the gaps.” Birol also underlined hydropower’s critical role in electricity
storage, noting that pumped storage hydro plants “are currently the largest form of electricity storage worldwide, with the capacity to hold 30 times more power than batteries.” Birol pointed out that in many advanced economies, hydro plants
are decades old and in need of refurbishment. “Many hydropower plants in advanced economies are over 40
years old. Refurbishing them is vital to sustain output, and owners should consider simultaneous upgrades that improve flexibility and storage,” he said. In contrast, developing and emerging economies hold vast untapped potential. “In emerging and developing economies – where about 60% of
hydro potential remains untapped – hydropower can both expand energy access and power industrialisation, spurring economic growth,” Birol wrote. He emphasized the multiple benefits hydropower can bring to communities and industries alike – from low-cost electricity and irrigation services to jobs and cross-border trade. Calling for urgent action, Birol urged governments to make financing more accessible and affordable, speed up permitting processes, and strengthen the resilience of hydropower infrastructure in the face of changing rainfall patterns due to climate change. “Hydropower development requires long-term planning, so challenges need to be addressed now,” he said. “This is why I believe it’s essential to move hydropower up today’s energy policy agenda.” “These actions can be taken now. And I hope that in another four years’ time, hydropower will no longer be a forgotten giant.”
Angola/DRC
HYDRO-LINK and DRC Government sign $1.5bn deal to build cross-border power line The Government of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and New York-based energy investor HYDRO-LINK have signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to construct a $1.5bn, 1150km electricity transmission line connecting Angola and the DRC. The agreement was signed in Washington, DC, during the USA-DRC Economic and Investments Forum by Aimé Sakombi Molendo, the DRC’s Minister of Hydraulic Resources and Electricity, and Paul Hinks, Chairman and CEO of HYDRO-LINK. The project aims to deliver surplus
hydropower from Angola to the DRC’s southeastern Copperbelt region, where mining and industrial operations face frequent power shortages. Completion is targeted for 2029. According to HYDRO-LINK CEO Paul Hinks,
the project will supply significant new energy capacity to both countries. “HYDRO-LINK is an investment that will deliver 1200MW of reliable and affordable electricity to the provinces of Angola and the DRC. It will support the mining sectors, local industries and the population over a vast area. High quality materials from the United States will be incorporated into the HYDRO-LINK project, creating jobs in American manufacturers facilities, as well as several thousand jobs in Angola and the DRC,” Hinks said.
Minister Sakombi Molendo said the project
represents an important milestone for the DRC’s energy strategy. “This agreement, which follows the audience granted by His Excellency Mr. Félix-Antoine Tshisekedi Tshilombo, President of the Republic, to the CEO of HYDRO-LINK, marks an important step toward ensuring the energy security and economic development of the Democratic Republic of the Congo.”. He added that “by leveraging Angola’s energy surplus and investing in cross-border
infrastructure, we are responding to the urgent needs of our industrial and mining sectors while laying the groundwork for access to clean and reliable electricity for our citizens.” “The Government of the DRC fully supports the transformative HYDRO-LINK project and the strategic partnerships that underpin it – a project that also contributes to regional integration while encouraging the construction of domestic electrical infrastructure currently being implemented by private titleholders, with the aim of reducing the energy deficit in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, alongside the Inga 3 program,” he said. Haim Taib, Founder and President of the Menomadin and Mitrelli Group, a partner and investor in HYDRO-LINK, said the partnership reflects a broader development goal. “The partnership with HYDRO-LINK is a strategic move by Mitrelli to help improve the regional economy and it reflects our long-standing commitment to sustainable development in Africa. Beyond enabling trade and industrial
www.waterpowermagazine.com | December 2025 | 5
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45
