/2008_OCT_EN_Newsletter by Info Esha

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EUROPEAN SMALL HYDROPOWER ASSOCIATION Newsletter – October 2008

Table of contents EUROPEAN SMALL HYDROPOWER ASSOCIATION ........................................................................................................... 1 EDITORIAL ................................................................................................................................................................................ 2 Hydro is back... ...................................................................................................................................................................... 2 NEWS from ESHA .................................................................................................................................................................... 2 HYDRO 2008, Slovenia ......................................................................................................................................................... 2 EUSEW 2009 ......................................................................................................................................................................... 2 ESHA collaborates with EWP ................................................................................................................................................ 3 SHERPA Project comes to a close ........................................................................................................................................ 3 SHAPES Project – Future seminars ...................................................................................................................................... 3 New project started: HydroAction! ......................................................................................................................................... 3 CHOICE Project – second new project.................................................................................................................................. 3 FP7 Call for Proposals ........................................................................................................................................................... 4 Small Hydro 2009 .................................................................................................................................................................. 4 GIS - Evaluation of the residual potential hydropower production in Italy ............................................................................. 4 NEWS from EREC .................................................................................................................................................................... 4 2008 EU Presidency Renewable Energy Policy Forum, Paris .............................................................................................. 4 rd EREC organises the 3 European Renewable Energy Policy Conference .......................................................................... 5 NEWS from European Institutions ......................................................................................................................................... 5 Renewables Framework Directive - recent developments .................................................................................................... 5 Water Framework Directive Update ....................................................................................................................................... 5 In Brief ....................................................................................................................................................................................... 6 Tenders ..................................................................................................................................................................................... 7 Agenda ...................................................................................................................................................................................... 7

ESHA – European Small Hydropower Association Renewable Energy House, Rue d‟Arlon 63-65 B - 1040 Brussels, Belgium Tel: +32.2.546.19.45, Fax: +32.2.546.19.47, E-mail: info@esha.be, www.esha.be ESHA is founding member of EREC - European Renewable Energy Council

EDITORIAL

Hydro is back... This was one of the striking messages I brought back from my participation in Hydrovision 2008, the North American international conference on hydropower taking place every two years. This year‟s conference took place from 14-18 July in Sacramento, California and gathered more than 2.400 participants from over 50 countries. The conference was organised at the right moment when governments all around the world are struggling to tackle climate change and impressively showcased the dynamism of the hydro industry as well as the commitment of the sector for further development and deployment. In his keynote speech, Dr. David Victor, Professor of law and Director of the Energy and Sustainable Development Programme at Stanford University, outlined the future challenges of the hydropower sector such as the need to engage with communities to build better relations as well as the need for better integration of the industry, like for example the wind sector which manages to formulate very clear messages that are being well heard by governments and decision makers. For me, the conference was a perfect platform to engage with many stakeholders from all over the world, to strengthen the links between ESHA and the IHA and to reinforce our common approach to promote sustainable hydropower as well as to engage with lots of people during a very interesting seminar organized on 15 July 2008 by the IEA Small Hydro Annex II on Innovative Small and Medium Hydro. My presentation on approval processes in Europe lead to lots of discussion among participants many of whom thought that the grass is greener on the other side of the Atlantic when it comes to hydro approvals but who realized that both in North America & Europe, the hydro sector faces the same challenges. The conference session on ABCs of Renewable Energy Incentive Programmes on 17 July 2008 provided a good comparison of different systems in place in Europe, Canada and the US. The key messages delivered during my presentation were well received and confirmed during the debate by the audience: Hydropower is the backbone of energy supply of many countries and can perfectly balance the intermittency of other renewable energy sources. In order to help the sector develop its full potential, a streamlining of procedures to reconcile energy & environmental objectives is crucial. Hydropower needs to communicate more clearly about its benefits of contributing to security of energy supply, helping to abate climate change as well ensuring competitiveness of the industry, amongst others through predictable energy prices. All in all, I very much enjoyed my inspiring stay in California and brought back lots of new ideas for continuing to promote renewable energy sources and particularly hydropower on the European Continent! Christine Lins Secretary General of ESHA & EREC

NEWS from ESHA HYDRO 2008, Slovenia The annual International Conference on Hydropower, HYDRO, was held from 6-9 October 2008 in Ljubljana, Slovenia. Some 800 participants from 66 different countries attended the conference which was divided into 21 sessions. ESHA had the opportunity to present a paper during session 6 on commercial issues and to co-chair session 14 on environmental aspects. ESHA also had a stand in the exhibition hall which drew a lot of interest, especially from the Balkan states. For further information on the conference, the proceedings or the ESHA presentation, please contact Gema San Bruno

EUSEW 2009 The European Commission is organising the European Union Sustainable Energy Week (EUSEW) from 9-13 February 2009 in Brussels. During this week, all major stakeholders of the energy sector in Europe will meet to discuss the most relevant issues and trends in EU energy policy. In the framework of EUSEW, ESHA will be organising a free event on

the afternoon of 11 February 2009 entitled “Investing in Sustainable Hydro” which will take place in the Committee of the Regions. ESHA members are invited to contribute to this event and send their papers in for presentation. For further information on the event, registration or any expression of interest in participation, please contact Gema San Bruno, or visit the website www.eusew.eu

ESHA collaborates with EWP ESHA began to collaborate with the European Water Partnership (EWP) at the beginning of 2008. The EWP represents the main stakeholders on water issues in the European Union. The ESHA-EWP collaboration is taking place within the Energy and Water Working Group and through the organisation of the World Water Forum to be held in Istanbul, Turkey, next year. For further information, please contact the ESHA secretariat

SHERPA Project comes to a close The SHERPA project, partially funded by the EACI under the IEE programme, came to a close at the end of September 2008. The project had been running for two years with its main objectives being to promote the SHP sector in the EU for better market penetration and conditions, and to raise awareness of the various difficulties the sector is facing at the moment. ESHA is currently preparing the final technical and financial report and several deliverables will shortly be available to ESHA members. For additional information of the forthcoming deliverables, SHERPA project or the Hidroenergia session, please contact Gema San Bruno

SHAPES Project – Future seminars ESHA is coordinating the SHAPES Project, partially funded by DG TREN under FP6, for the promotion of efficient solutions for SHP. Two interesting seminars will take place in the framework of this project during October 2008:

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 Training Seminar in India from 16-17 October 2008 organised by DULAS and TERI Seminar for Investors in Refurbishing SHP. Organised by Acciona, this seminar will take place in Pamplona, Spain, on 23 October 2008. The event is free of charge and will be divided into a theoretical part in the morning (lectures) and a practical approach in the afternoon which will include a visit to an upgraded plant.

For additional information on the programme or registration, please visit the ESHA website or contact Gema San Bruno

New project started: HydroAction! The HydroAction project, funded by FP7 – DG Research, started its activities with a kick-off meeting on 26 September 2008 in Athens, Greece. The concept of this project is to improve the hydraulic efficiency of small action turbines by developing a methodology for the low-cost design optimization with regard to productivity and costs. The application of this innovative design methodology is expected to result in an average of 3-5 % increase in productivity. A questionnaire will soon be disseminated to manufacturers in order to assess the current situation and future needs. ESHA is a partner within the project which is co-ordinated by NTUA in Greece. The project will run for three years. For additional information on the Hydroaction project, please contact Lauha Fried

CHOICE Project – second new project ESHA is taking part in a second new project partially funded by the EACI under the IEE programme, called CHOICE. The kick-off meeting was held in Italy on 15 September 2008. CHOICE seeks the creation of a green certificate/labelling

for hydropower which is in line with the Water Framework Directive. The project will run for 30 months and is coordinated by Ambiente Italia. For further information on CHOICE, please contact Gema San Bruno

FP7 Call for Proposals ESHA took part in the information days organised by the European Commission where the new call for proposals opened in September 2008 was explained in terms of goals and topics. The call is coordinated by DR TREN and DG Research, and a detailed programme is available on CORDIS. For further information or for expressions of interest please contact Gema San Bruno

Small Hydro 2009 ESHA is co-organising with the International Water Power and Dam Construction magazine a special event called Small Hydro 2009 which will be held in Vancouver, Canada, from 28-29 April 2009 and which will focus on SHP and investment opportunities. The Call for Papers is open and ESHA Members will benefit from special conditions to attend and contribute to this event. For further information on this conference, please visit the event website

GIS - Evaluation of the residual potential hydropower production in Italy A methodology to evaluate residual potential hydropower energy taking into account current water resource exploitation (irrigation, drinkable water, existing hydropower, etc) was developed in Italy using a numerical technique coupled with a GIS (Geographic Information System), the hydrological and physiographic characteristics of nearly 1500 interconnected subbasins at a national scale and information from rainfall maps. To analyse the hydropower potential at a watercourse scale, the VAPIDRO-ASTE GIS software tool was developed: users select a river, input the hydrological data and current water uses and the model implemented in the tool assists to configure the best hydropower exploitation system considering minimal costs and maximum power generation. These tools have shown to be helpful as support for administrations, decision makers, and stakeholders in general, to make Energy Master Plans, or assess and implement small scale hydropower plants. Potential hydropower production in Italy (above, left) and upper Oglio River.

ESHA would like to thank Mr. J. Alterach of CESI RICERCA of Italy for sending us this article. For further information on the GIS tool, please email Julio.alterach@cesiricerca.it or visit www.cesiricerca.it

NEWS from EREC 2008 EU Presidency Renewable Energy Policy Forum, Paris Organised by EREC, the EU Presidency Renewable Energy Policy Forum, which includes the closing conference of the RESTMAC project, will take place on 17 November 2008 in the framework of the Renewable energies, building technologies and energy management week which will be held at the CNIT, Paris La Défense, France from 17-22 November 2008. For further information on the event, please visit www.erec.org or http://www.ademe-energy-letsmoveon.com/

EREC organises the 3rd European Renewable Energy Policy Conference rd

The First Announcement for the 3 European Renewable Energy Policy Conference in Brussels has been published. The conference, organised by EREC, will take place from 9-11 February 2009 in the framework of EUSEW, the European Union Sustainable Energy Week. Please visit www.erec.org to learn about the draft programme and the many sponsorship opportunities, or send an email to events@erec.org

NEWS from European Institutions Renewables Framework Directive - recent developments On 11 September 2008, the Industry and Energy Committee (ITRE) of the European Parliament voted almost unanimously in favour of the Renewables Framework Directive. The adopted report by the EP introduced some significant improvements to the Commission‟s original proposal such as cooperation mechanisms for Member States to achieve their targets, binding interim targets with a direct financial penalty/awards system and a simplification of administrative procedures for authorisation of RES plants as well as binding provisions on priority access to grid. At present negotiations between the French Presidency, the European Parliament and the Commission are ongoing and the Directive is likely to be adopted during the EU Czech Republic Presidency during the first half of 2009. For additional information on the Renewables Framework Directive, please contact Lauha Fried.

Water Framework Directive Update The WFD Strategic Steering Group meeting on Climate Change and Water took place on 5 September 2008 in Brussels. The increased role of hydropower as a tool to control flood peaks and to maintain water resources on dry summer months was strongly acknowledged in this meeting. Several documents linked to Climate Change and Water are currently being prepared, with a focus in particular on:    

How adaptation is addressed in the 1st River Basin Management Plans? The importance of integration with other policies WFD and objective-setting under a changing climate The role of adaptation in the 2nd WFD management cycle

The Commission is preparing a Comprehensive Guidance Document on „How to adapt to climate change with regard to water issues and EU water legislation‟. This document is anticipated to be published during spring 2009. Furthermore, a White Paper on Climate Change adaptation which follows-up the Green Paper will also come out during the course of this year. ESHA has been invited to a workshop organised under the French Presidency entitled “Implementing public participation for the preparedness of PoMs and associated RBMPs” which takes place on 13-14 November 2008 in Poitiers, France. For additional information on the Discussion Paper on Climate Change and/or on the Discussion Paper on disproportionate cost, please contact Lauha Fried.

In Brief EU sues France for hydro owner preference In September, the European Commission announced it will take France to court to challenge a French law that gives existing hydropower concession holders preference when concessions come up for renewal. The EU agency said it would take France before the European Court of Justice because its 1994 Decree 94/894 is incompatible with the EU principle of freedom of establishment that prohibits restrictions on crossborder economic activities. (HRW, September 2008) Waterpower and Climate Change Conference Call for Papers The Annual Conference on Hydraulic Engineering “Waterpower and Climate Change” which will take place in Dresden on 12-13 March 2009, has published its First Announcement and Call for Papers. For a list of the topics to be discussed and for any other information, please visit www.tu-dresden.de or email thm@mailbox.tu-dresden.de New Small Hydro plant approved for Bern EWR Energie of Switzerland has received permission to build a 10 MW hydropower plant on the Aare River, in the central canton of Bern. Construction of the plant is to begin this year and its service in late 2010. The unit will have an estimated annual production of 49GWh and should make an important contribution to security of supply of the Berne region. (Hydropower & Dams, Issue 3, 2008) Romania sells small hydro plants to Austria Romania‟s State hydropower producer Hidroelectrica announced on 16 June 2008 that it had sold 17 small hydro plants with a combined installed capacity of 10.586 MW to Wienstrom Power Company which is the power supply arm of Wien Energie, Austria‟s largest municipal-owned utility. (Hydropower & Dams, Issue 3, 2008) Scotland looks to “turn the tap onto new hydro” The Scottish government has strongly signalled its support for a new generation of hydroelectric power plants across the country with the publication of a new report claiming new facilities could power up to 600.000 homes. The study, carried out by the Forum for Renewable Energy Development in Scotland found that while Scotland already generates 1379 MW from hydro electric plants, there are still 657 MW of financially viable hydr electric schemes that could be exploited. (www.BusinessGreen.com – Sept. 2008) White Paper presented in Norway In Oslo, the Ministry of Petroleum and energy has presented a white paper to Norway‟s parliament to reinforce public control of Norway‟s hydropower assets. The legislation preserves a system whereby hydro concessions granted to private companies revert to the state once the concessions expire, while public owners retain their rights in perpetuity. (HRW, September 2008) MHPs for rural electrification in Northern Afghanistan search for experts Since 2008 Deutsche Gesellschaft für Technische Zusammenarbeit (GTZ) GmbH has been implementing the Afghanistan Energy Programme – Renewable Energy Supply for Rural Areas (ESRA). The objective of the programme is to strengthen state-owned and private sector structures for promoting electricity supply in rural areas. In the pilot province of Badakhshan in Northern Afghanistan ESRA develops micro hydro sites from 100 to 500 kW in order to provide access to electricity for 25% of the rural population until 2010. The ESRA team is currently looking for a civil engineer to support the construction of micro hydropower stations as well as additional staff for the promotion of renewable energies (hydro, solar, wind) in general. Please download the Job Description here. Further details can be obtained by contacting the component manager Anita Richter. Small hydro concessions awarded Montenegro‟s Ministry of Economic Development awarded concessions on 13 June 2008 for the design, construction and operation of seven small hydro stations. The concessions were awarded following a tender issued in November 2007 for 43 concessions for SHPs with capacities of up to 10 MW. The projects will be returned to the State at the end of the concession period. (Hydropower & Dams, Issue 3, 2008) Georgia to expand clean energy pilot programme The UNDP (United Nations Development Programme) has pledged to help expand a clean energy pilot programme throughout Georgia, bringing small hydropower and other energy projects to isolated areas. UNDP said that, taking into account additional investment opportunities for new small hydro plants, it might be possible to build 160 small hydro plants in Georgia totalling 650 MW on top of the already existing and to be rehabilitated plants. (HRW, September 2008) Micro Hydro Generator Proposed for Ontario’s York River Shoreline The Ontario municipality of Hastings Highlands, Canada, is considering the construction of a microhydro electric power generator on the York River shoreline below Baptiste Lake. Municipal officials are in discussions with the Ministry of Natural Resources, Ottawa Engineering Ltd. and community members to determine the legal and environmental impacts of this proposed installation. Also

included in the discussions is Montreal-based Terravolt Inc., which stated in a public letter that the proposed generator would not require a dam and, thus, would not create problems with water levels. (www.microhydropower.net/news) Energia Escalona financing paves the way for Mexico plant Completion of the round of project financing for Energia Escalona has paved the way for the special purpose vehicle to develop a small hydro power project near Veracruz, Mexico. The 9.3 MW „Escalona‟ plant is to be built in the Las Minas river and benefit from the constant discharge for the upstream Las Minas hydro power scheme. Leaf Clean Energy Co, which invests in renewables schemes, added that the plant was also expected to gain carbon credits under the Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) of the Kyoto Protocol. (www.waterpowermagazine.com/story.asp?sectioncode=130&storyCode=2050524) More mini hydro planned for Argentina Argentine Power generator HidroCuyo has presented a proposal to construct two SHPs to the Ministry of Infrastructure. The project i-envisages the construction of the 2 MW Los Algarrobos plant and the 4 MW La Rapida. The two projects are expected to supply 15 per cent of the peak demand of the regional capital of San Salvador de Jujuy. (Hydropower & Dams, Issue 3, 2008) World Bank funds energy, including hydro, in Tanzania The World Bank is providing US$111.5 million in credits and grants for an energy development and access programme in Tanzania. The programme includes small hydro for off grid-use and to power small distribution systems. It is to improve quality and efficiency of electricity service, establish a sustainable basis for energy access expansion, and help reduce carbon dioxide emissions by reducing barriers to renewable energy development. (HRW, September 2008) Singapore firm to study expanding Vietnam project Singapore‟s Asiatic Group (Holdings) Ltd. reports its Colben Energy Holdings (Vietnam) Ltd. subsidiary signed an agreement to study a 1.4 MW Hydroelectric project in Vietnam with plans to expand it. Asiatic said Colben signed a memorandum of understanding with Lao Cai Mineral Co. to review the latter‟s hydro project in Lao Cai Province. The feasibility study of the project is to include a review of upgrading the project to 5 MW (HRW, September 2008)

Tenders No tenders at present.

Agenda October 2008 th

13–19 October: 20 International Congress on Irrigation and Drainage, Lahore, Pakistan. For further information, please email icid@icid2008.org or visit www.icid2008.org

17 October: How many hydroelectric stations does Switzerland support? Pro Natura day to be held in Bern, Switzerland. For further information, please visit www.pronatura.ch/content/index.php?lang=3 (only available in French, German or Italian)

November 2008

3-7 November: Hydropower Financing & Project Economy – Meeting the Challenges of Financing Hydropower Projects in Liberalised Markets, Oslo, Norway. For further information, please visit www.ich.no

17-21 November: 1 European Renewable Energy Week will be held in Paris, France. EREC will be organising the EU Presidency Renewable Energy Policy Forum on 17 November. For further information, please visit www.ademe-energie-changeonsdere.fr

17-22 November: Legal Framework in Hydropower Development, Oslo, Norway. For further information, please visit www.ich.no

26-28 November: International Seminar on Hydropower Plants, Vienna, Austria. For further information, please email eduard.doujak@tuwien.ac.at or visit www.viennahydro.com

December 2008 -

10-12 December: 2 International Symposium on Shallow Flows will be held in the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Hong Kong. For further information please visit www.ce.ust.hk/issf/

January 2009 -

5-7 January: International Perspective on Environmental and Water Resources, to be held in Bangkok, Thailand. For further information, please email ewri@asce.org

DISCLAIMER: ESHA prepares this Newsletter to enhance access to information about news, policies and events concerning the small hydropower sector and renewable energy in general. Our goal is to keep this information timely and accurate and therefore, ESHA compiles this information from different available and reliable sources and selects Newsletter content in the best efficient way it knows. If errors are brought to our attention, we will try to correct them. However, ESHA accepts no responsibility or liability whatsoever with regard to the information on this paper. This information is of a general nature, not necessarily complete or accurate and sometimes linked to external sites over which ESHA has no control and for which the ESHA assumes no responsibility.

ESHA â&#x20AC;&#x201C; European Small Hydropower Association Renewable Energy House, Rue dâ&#x20AC;&#x;Arlon 63-65 B - 1040 Brussels, Belgium Tel: +32.2.546.19.45, Fax: +32.2.546.19.47, E-mail: info@esha.be, www.esha.be ESHA is founding member of EREC - European Renewable Energy Council