http://www.esha.be/fileadmin/esha_files/documents/publications/Newsletters/2009_March_Newsletter_EN

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EUROPEAN SMALL HYDROPOWER ASSOCIATION Newsletter – March 2009

Table of contents EUROPEAN SMALL HYDROPOWER ASSOCIATION ...........................................................................................................1 EDITORIAL ....................................................................................................................................................................2 20 Years of ESHA , stronger than ever and with a bright future ahead ! .............................................................................. 2 NEWS FROM ESHA ........................................................................................................................................................3 SMALL HYDRO Conference, Vancouver ................................................................................................................................. 3 Investing in Sustainable Hydro Workshop............................................................................................................................. 3 ESHA participates at 2nd European Water Conference, 2-3 April 2009, Brussels .................................................................. 3 CERTIFICATION FOR HYDRO: Improving Clean Energy (CH2OICE) ........................................................................................ 4 HYDROACTION – A survey has been launched!..................................................................................................................... 4 Tour Seminar Multipurpose SHP Plants, Austria: SHAPES ..................................................................................................... 5 1st International Exhibition on Micro and Mini Hydro-Electric Power, 25-28 November, Milan, Italy ................................ 5 NEWS FROM EREC.........................................................................................................................................................5 EREC organised the high-level conference EU energy & climate package – a new “green deal” for Europe, Brussels, 9 February 2009 ..................................................................................................................................................................... 5 The European Parliament must improve the European Energy Programme for Recovery (EEPR) ....................................... 6 3rd European Renewable Energy Policy Conference, 16-17 November, Brussels ................................................................. 6 NEWS FROM THE EUROPEAN INSTITUTIONS ..................................................................................................................6 Water Framework Directive Update ..................................................................................................................................... 6 IN BRIEF ........................................................................................................................................................................7 TENDERS.......................................................................................................................................................................9 AGENDA ..................................................................................................................................................................... 10

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ESHA – European Small Hydropower Association Renewable Energy House, Rue d’Arlon 63-67 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 20 Years of ESHA , stronger than ever and with a bright future ahead !

On the 17 March 2009, ESHA, the European Small Hydropower Association, will celebrate its 20th Anniversary at the Renewable Energy House in Brussels.

ESHA has represented the interests of the SHP sector in the European Union since 1989 when it was created through an initiative of the European Commission. In the year 2000, ESHA decided to join its colleagues representing other renewable energy sectors in the Renewable Energy House. The representation of a Secretariat in Brussels all these years has improved the image of the sector and has helped its development through lobbying activities at different EU levels.

Even if the sector has developed in a stable manner, the SHP stakeholders have faced many challenges in the past 20 years. SHP in the EU context is defined as covering plants with an installed capacity up to 10 MW. Even if in quantitative terms the sector represents only a small part of the RES production in general and of hydropower production in particular, it offers much potential and great scope for development with an important contribution to the EU energy needs as far as its combination with other RES, such as wind, its possibilities to be integrated in multipurpose systems and its potential for upgrading and refurbishing already existing sites in the EU. Moreover, the improvements made both in quantitative and qualitative terms regarding the environmental concerns and mitigation measures have shown a growing interest and a path towards the development of sustainable hydropower that is equally respectful to the environment, satisfies social needs and is still an interesting investment in economic terms.

In addition, the latest policy developments with the newly adopted RES Directive paving the way for 20% renewable energy by 2020 will bring a new drive for sustainable hydropower development. Furthermore, those linking water and energy as precious interconnected resources have identified small hydro as a reliable supplier of electricity generation, especially for rural populations without access to grid electricity.

These 20 years have served to position the sector and make it speak with one voice and underline its beneficial use.

On the technological side, improvements have been made on more efficient and less costly turbines but the largest efforts are in developing more appropriate turbines for currently needed, such as fish-friendly turbines, very-low head turbines, as well as other new materials.

ESHA’s 20th Anniversary will be a great opportunity to remember all these aspects, to celebrate achievements, but also to think about the future lying ahead of us. Much is still pending and many challenges are ahead. Times are changing and we have to change with them. We need to think now about ESHA’s contribution to facilitate the reaching of the 2020 targets and to represent the interest of sustainable hydropower within the renewable energy family, thereby contributing to the EU’s security of energy supply, to economic development as well as to the abatement of climate change.

ESHA particularly wishes to thank our Anniversary Sponsors – Turboinstitute, Mavel, Hydro Equipment Association and Hydropol – for supporting ESHA’s work and particularly for sponsoring this 20th Anniversary.

Thank you for being with us all these years, Your passionate ESHA Team

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ESHA – European Small Hydropower Association Renewable Energy House, Rue d’Arlon 63-67 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

NEWS FROM ESHA SMALL HYDRO Conference, Vancouver ESHA is co-organising with the International Water Power and Dam Construction Magazine a special event entitled “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 draft programme as well information on registration, venue and hotel accommodation for this event is published on the event website.

Prof. Bernhard Pelikan, ESHA President, will offer a presentation during the opening session of the Conference on the SHP situation in Europe and future perspectives. It is also foreseen to organise inside the programme a Roundtable Discussion on the SHP European Perspective, which would include SHP experts in different fields such as technology, environment, legislation, economics, together with a moderator. ESHA is looking for speakers to complete this roundtable discussion. Interested parties are invited to contact Gema San Bruno by the end of March 2009.

Please note that ESHA Members will benefit from special conditions at the Conference. ESHA will have a stand for disseminating information and enable it to gain visibility at an international level.

For general information on the Conference, please visit the event website

Investing in Sustainable Hydro Workshop ESHA organised a workshop entitled "Investing in Sustainable Hydro" which took place on 12 February 2009 in the Berlaymont building in Brussels in the framework of the EU Sustainable Energy Week - EUSEW 2009.

This exciting workshop, which brought together over 80 participants including decision-makers, potential investors, environmental groups, NGOs as well as hydropower stakeholders, underlined the potential opportunities for development and investment in a renewable energy sector that is capable of making a significant contribution in achieving the EU targets on RES for 2020. The workshop furthermore demonstrated how sustainable hydropower is evolving and complying with sustainability criteria necessary today environmentally and ecologically, and which furthers its potential of reducing CO2 emissions.

The workshop was followed by a roundtable discussion on the certification of sustainable hydro, held in the framework of the CH2OICE project, and by a short presentation of the SMART Project.

All presentations made during the workshop are now available on the ESHA Website

ESHA participates at 2nd European Water Conference, 2-3 April 2009, Brussels The 2nd European Water Conference with theme “Active Involvement in River Basin Management – Plunge into the Debate” will take place in Brussels from 2 – 3 April 2009. The conference aims to provide an opportunity for all relevant actors and stakeholders to discuss the strategic water management issues in Europe, and in particular, the ongoing development of the River Basin Management Plans required under the Water Framework Directive.

Luigi Papetti of Studio Frosio, Italy, will be representing ESHA at the event with a presentation on “Small Hydropower and the Water Framework Directive” which will take place in the session entitled ‘Sustainable modifications to our

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ESHA – European Small Hydropower Association Renewable Energy House, Rue d’Arlon 63-67 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

watercourses? Focus on hydropower and navigation’ on the morning of Friday 3 April 2009, and ESHA will also have an exhibition stand to disseminate information.

For further information, please contact Lauha Fried or visit http://www.ewc2009.eu/.You can also download the draft programme here.

CERTIFICATION FOR HYDRO: Improving Clean Energy (CH2OICE) The CH2OICE project, partly funded by the IEE programme, was launched in September 2008. This project will last for two and a half years with the objective of developing a technically and economically feasible certification procedure for hydropower generation facilities of high environmental standards, being explicitly coherent with the requirements of the WFD, to be implemented in “green labelled” electricity products and being integrated with existing EU tools, such as Ecolabel, EMAS, EIA and SEA. The first activity of the project is to review the existing material in order to build the knowledge base necessary to take agreed decisions about the methodology to be adopted. For the most part, this work has already been performed and the next task on defining methodology and criteria for certification will start soon.

The partners’ team met in Brussels in February 2009 for a project meeting on the progress on the work performed, which was followed by a roundtable discussion, co-organised by ESHA and Ambiente Italia and held in the framework of the EUSEW09 on the 12th February evening, where the issues on the compatibility of the two Directives, RES-E and WFD, was analysed by experts from both the Energy and the Environment Sector. The agenda and presentation of the roundtable discussion are available at Ch2oice and ESHA websites.

CH2OICE project is coordinated by Ambiente Italia and its partners are CIRF, WWF Italy, APER, Studio Frosio, LIMNOS, HSE, IPVO, SSHA, CLER, UPM, REC Slovakia and ESHA. The project information brochure will be available soon!

For particular information on the deliverables, please contact Giulio Conte. For general information on CH2OICE, ESHA involvement and the workshop, please contact Gema San Bruno or visit CH2OICE website (www.ch2oice.eu)

HYDROACTION – A survey has been launched!

The HYDROACTION project, in which ESHA is a partner, has the objective to increase turbine productivity and reduce manufacturing costs. HYDROACTION will develop a methodology for optimizing the design of small hydro turbines with regard to productivity and cost. The standardisation and application of the methodology will contribute to the development of cost-efficient, tailor-made turbines for small hydro plants with optimum performance. Please find more information on the project website at www.hydroaction.org A survey to collect information on current practices and needs in small turbine design. Everyone participating in the survey will profit from the project results and will have a chance to win free entrance to the next Hidroenergia 2010 conference in Switzerland organised by ESHA! To participate in the survey or for additional information on the HYDROACTION project, please contact Lauha Fried.

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ESHA – European Small Hydropower Association Renewable Energy House, Rue d’Arlon 63-67 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

Tour Seminar Multipurpose SHP Plants, Austria: SHAPES In the context of the EU FP6 partly-funded SHAPES project, which ESHA is coordinating, a Tour Seminar will be organised on the 9 - 10 June 2009 in Austria. The objective of the seminar is to visit and have lectures in different multipurpose SHP plants operating around the Tirol area in Austria. The Tour Seminar is more orientated towards practice than theory and aims to promote the technology of multipurpose SHP by showing real examples. Wasser Tirol, one of the partners of the project is organising this seminar which is open to the general public. The tour seminar will last two days and will be accompanied by a Gala Dinner. Sponsor opportunities for this event are open.

The SHAPES project is a DG TREN funded project under the FP6 programme aiming at strengthening the R&D network activities in order to boost the new opportunities for SHP. The SHAPES work plan ending in December 2009 is focusing on: Developing a Research Agenda for SHP R&D priorities, Promoting SHP refurbishment and upgrading in the EU, Training SHP specialists, Promoting and supporting the use of SHP in developing countries and Promoting SHP technologies with simultaneous applications such as multipurpose plants.

For more information on this seminar, please contact Siegfried Ploner from Wasser Tirol. For additional information on SHAPES project, please contact Gema San Bruno.

1st International Exhibition on Micro and Mini Hydro-Electric Power, 25-28 November, Milan, Italy HYDRO ENERGY 2009 is a new International Exhibition, to be held in Milan from 25 to 28 November, focusing on hydroelectric energy, and in particular on micro (power <100 kW) and mini (power <1,000 kW) hydroelectric systems, capable of transforming energy from small watercourses into electricity, in a clean and sustainable manner.

In addition to the exhibition, HYDRO ENERGY 2009 will also feature a series of conferences, workshops and seminars involving companies, organizations and associations operating in the sector, on topics ranging from feasibility studies to the civil, mechanical, hydraulic and electrical engineering of the plants.

For further information on the event, please download the brochure

NEWS FROM EREC EREC organised the high-level conference EU energy & climate package – a new “green deal” for Europe, Brussels, 9 February 2009 The high-level event “EU energy & climate package – a new “green deal” for Europe” which EREC co-organised with DG TREN on 9 February 2009, highlighted the benefits and strategic importance of the EU’s Climate and Energy package.

The Conference took place in the framework of the Sustainable Energy Week (EUSEW 2009) and was an official event of the Czech Presidency of the Council of the European Union.

The Conference was introduced by Matthias Ruete, Director General of DG TREN, and opened by Aleš Kuták, Deputy Minister of the Environment and Director of the Climate and Air Protection Section of the Czech Republic, Mechtild Rothe, Vice-President of the European Parliament, Andris Piebalgs, European Commissioner for Energy, Stavros Dimas, European Commissioner for the Environment, and Arthouros Zervos, President of EREC.

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ESHA – European Small Hydropower Association Renewable Energy House, Rue d’Arlon 63-67 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

The conference gathered some 500 participants and provided an interested platform for information exchange between the industry and policy-makers.

For speaker presentations, web streaming and further information, please visit EREC website

The European Parliament must improve the European Energy Programme for Recovery (EEPR) The European Energy Programme for Recovery proposed by the Commission aims to respond to the downturn faced by the EU’s economy in the wake of the financial crisis and to the shortcomings in the EU’s security of energy supply illustrated by the gas crisis. It provides a list of actions to implement the Recovery Plan endorsed by the European Council in December 2008. The Commission proposes to find 3.5 bn EUR from the EU budget for energy technology.

In EREC’s view, the proposal for the Regulation is drafted in a very unbalanced way and EREC urges the European Parliament to exercise its authority to improve it.

According to EREC, the EEPR should propose investments in renewable energy and energy efficiency, for example by supporting smart energy cities. Equal funding conditions for all types of projects need to be applied. The renewable energy sector can deliver mature projects resulting in sustainable infrastructure investments in 2009 and 2010 with a true recovery effect for Europe’s economy.

For further information, please contact Christine Lins, EREC Secretary General.

3rd European Renewable Energy Policy Conference, 16-17 November, Brussels For its third edition, the 3rd European Renewable Energy Policy Conference will be held in the framework of the Swedish EU Presidency on the 16 and 17 November 2009 in Brussels. EREC is organizing this high-level conference which is the most important information exchange platform for the renewable energy sector and which provides an unparalleled opportunity to showcase and demonstrate your role in and commitment to the European renewable energy arena and to directly engage with senior political decision makers from all over Europe.

For further information, please download the First Announcement, or visit www.erec.org/policyconference2009 for news on sponsorship opportunities and registration.

NEWS FROM THE EUROPEAN INSTITUTIONS Water Framework Directive Update The ESHA-WFD Working Group has been reactivated, the first meeting was held on 15 December 2009 at the Renewable Energy House in Brussels. Sara Gollessi of APER was elected as new Chairperson for the group. The main topics discussed were the first draft River Basin Management Plans and differences in WFD implementation in member states, impacts of WFD implementation on small hydro, designation of HMWB and SHP, how to get the message through on environmental mitigation measures that the sector is using for a wider public etc. The next ESHA-WFD WG meeting will take place on the 17 March 2009 from 16-17.30 at the Renewable Energy House in Brussels.

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ESHA – European Small Hydropower Association Renewable Energy House, Rue d’Arlon 63-67 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

Spring 2009 schedule for the Water Framework Directive meetings in the framework of the Common Implementation Strategy is the following:        

11 March 12 March 2-3 April 20-21 April 29-30 April 7-8 May 19-20 May 28-29 May

Strategic Coordination Group Workshop on the designation of heavily Modified Water Bodies European Water Conference Ecostat Climate Change and Water Strategic Coordination Group WG on Floods Water Directors meeting in Czech Republic

For further information on WFD related issues please contact Lauha Fried

IN BRIEF Renewables global agency IRENA launched The International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) was launched on 26-27 January 2009 at the establishing conference in Bonn, Germany, and gathered support from 75 nations.

Supporters aim to make the agency the main driving force to promote rapid transition to widespread and sustainable use of renewable energy on a global scale. It is envisaged that the agency will act as the global voice for renewables and facilitate access to all relevant information. (www.waterpowermagazine.com) Scotland approves new hydro schemes The Scottish Government announced in early December 2008 that it had approved the construction of two small run-of-river hydro schemes with a combined capacity of 6 MW. The schemes approved are RWE-Npower’s 3.5 MW Black Rock project on the lower catchment of the River Glass, between Redburn and Evanton, and Scottish & Southern Energy’s 2.5 MW Allt Coire Chaorach project near Crianlarich.

(Hydropower & Dams, Vol. 16, Issue 1, 2009) New plants to be built on the Murg river German municipal utility Stadtwerke Guggenua is preparing to build two more small hydro plants on the River Murg between Gernsbach and Guggenau in the state of Baden-Württemberg.

The first project, at Hörden, with installed capacity of 300 kW, is currently in the permitting process and could begin service at the end of 2010. This €2 million project should be followed two to three years later by another 300 kW station planned for a site on the Murg in the town of Guggenau, where a former hydro plant was dismantled 25 years ago. Each of the two plants is expected to supply power for 350-400 households. (Hydropower & Dams, Vol. 16, Issue 1, 2009) Statkraft’s mini hydro work sees Rodberg open Norwegian utility Statkraft has opened a mini-hydro plant at Rodberg to further exploit cascade potential and has approval to build the Eiriksdal station. The 2.9 MW Rodberg plant has been built between the Nore 1 and Nore 2 plants, and generates electricity using the minimum releases from the Rodberg dam. It is expected to generate an average of 15.5 GWh per year. (www.waterpowermagazine.com) Romania to build micro hydro plants Petro Carbo Chem (PCC), the German chemicals, energy and logistics group, intends to build five micro hydro stations in Romania over the next few years. Each station will have an installed capacity of 1-5 MW and the company intends to build a total of 19 plants across south-eastern Europe as part of its strategy to expand in the Balkans. (Hydropower & Dam, Vol. 15, Issue 6, 2008) Montenegro awards concessions for small hydro Montenegro’s Ministry of Economic Development awarded at the end of 2008 the design, build, operate and transfer (DBOT) concessions for eight small hydro plants with a capacity of up to 10 MW each. Montenegro’s power company Elektroprivreda Crne Gore (EPCG) will purchase all electricity

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ESHA – European Small Hydropower Association Renewable Energy House, Rue d’Arlon 63-67 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

generated, and it is hoped that this will cut power imports to the country by at least 25%. (Hydropower & Dams, Vol. 15, Issue 6, 2008) Russia in pact to build small hydro plants in Cuba Russian power group Inter RAO UES has signed an agreement that will see it cooperate on small hydro power development in Cuba. The small hydro work is part of a wider pact to develop and upgrade thermal power facilities and also improve the transmission grid. (www.waterpowermagazine.com) Decotra to invest in mini hydro Serbian rubber and chemicals group Tigar and Italian energy company Decotra have established a joint venture to build mini hydro plants in the municipality of Pirot, southeastern Serbia. The joint venture, known as Pirot Energo, will initially study the hydro capacity of the river Nisava. The municipality said it had chosen around 40 locations for mini hydro plants with a total estimated capacity of 45 MW. (Hydropower & Dams, Vol. 15, Issue 6, 2008) Atel buys stake in small hydro producers Atel EcoPower, a wholly owned subsidiary of the Swiss power company Atel, announced at the end of 2008 the acquisition of a 49 per cent stake in Swiss hydro producer Wasserkraftwerke Weinfelden from Model, thereby becoming the company’s majority shareholder. Wasserkraftwerke Weinfelden operates three small hydro stations on the Thur canal in the northeast canton of Thurgau with an installed capacity of 1560 kW and an annual production of 9.8 GWh. Atel EcoPower already owns six other small hydro stations which produce a combined 15 GWh/year, equivalent to the electricity requirements of approximately 3000 households.

(Hydropower & Dams, Vol. 15, Issue 6, 2008) Punjab to accelerate small hydropower plants Senior officials of nodal agency Punjab Energy Development Agency said that during the ongoing 11th Plan period ending March 2012, the state expects to add 34.5 MW new capacity through small hydropower projects. PEDA officials said that Punjab has a total potential of 140 MW through small hydropower projects against which 29.55 MW capacity is under operation. Punjab does not have a separate state government agency for implementing small hydropower projects. Punjab State Electricity Board implements small projects downstream of large hydropower schemes. To boost the sector, private participation is being elicited for micro and mini hydropower schemes. (www.microhydropower.net/news) EC’s clean energy fund to invest €22m in Africa and Asia The Global Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy Fund (GEEREF) set up by the European Commission, has decided to qualify small hydropower under on a first set of investments totalling €22 million in Africa and Asia. The GEEREF Investment Committee has given preliminary approval to investments totalling €22 million in two commercial renewable energy investment funds, one focusing on projects in sub-Saharan and southern Africa and the other in Asia with a primary focus on India. Both funds will invest equity in renewable energy projects such as wind energy generation, small hydro-electric generation, biomass and methane recovery. In the regions where the two funds operate, there is a lack of equity investment available through the market for these types of projects. (www.microhydropower.net/news) NuPlanet plans more small hydro in South Africa South African developer NuPlanet is planning to build another four small hydro power plants in the country as it has been awarded development rights for the projects, which it aims to secure finance for within the next year. The combined installed capacity of the new projects is 20 MW. (www.waterpowermagazine.com) Endesa Eco submits EIA for Piruquina plant Endesa Eco, a subsidiary of Endesa Chile, has submitted an environmental impact assessment (EIA) for the construction and operation of the 7.6 MW Piruquina hydro plant in Chile’s Los Lagos Region. With an estimated investment of US$24M, the plant will use the river Carihueico through a supply duct and pressure pipe about 350m long, with a design flow of 32m 3/sec and net altitude fall of 27m. The project is expected to be registered as a Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) project. (www.waterpowermagazine.com)

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ESHA – European Small Hydropower Association Renewable Energy House, Rue d’Arlon 63-67 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

TENDERS Lesotho: Electricity Supply Project The Government of the Kingdom of Lesotho has received a loan and a grant from the African Development Fund to finance the Electricity Supply Project. The objective of the project is to support investment in the electricity supply infrastructure to enhance electricity access rate and to ensure improved efficiency and reliability, to reduce peaking shortages and therefore assist the country to reduce poverty and achieve the Millennium Development Goals. The project includes the following components: A. Renewable Energy: Rehabilitation of 2 MW mini hydropower plant, and installation of Solar Home Systems B. Construction of Distribution Network C. Technical Assistance: Feasibility Study of 132 kV Transmission system and pre-feasibility of 1000 MW Pump storage scheme D. Project Engineering, Supervision and Management: Consulting services for review of design and supervision of the project, consulting services for auditing of the project accounts, Environmental Mitigation The project will be completed over a period of 42 months from the date of loan approval in January 2009.

The rehabilitation of 2 MW mini hydropower plant will be through direct negotiations with the initial supplier due to proprietary nature of the equipment. The bidding process has begun with the publication of a general procurement notice in February 2009.

Procurement of goods and works will be in accordance with the African Development Bank´s (AfDB´s) Rules of Procedure for Procurement of Goods and Works. Acquisition of the services of consultants will follow the AfDB´s Rules of Procedure for the Use of Consultants. Interested bidders and consultancy firms may obtain further information from and should confirm their interest by contacting: Lesotho Electricity Supply Company (Pty) Ltd., PO Box 423, Maseru 0100, Lesotho, Tel: (266) 2231-2236, Fax: (266) 2231-0544 (Source: Alliance for Rural Electrification - http://www.ruralelec.org/) Energy from Rural Transformation (ERT) II project: Consulting Services for Implementation The Government of the Republic of Uganda has applied for financing from the World Bank toward the cost of the Energy for Rural Transformation II Project, and intends to apply part of the proceeds to consultancy services. These include provision of Implementation Support to the Water Component by assisting the Ministry of Water and Environment through the Directorate of Water Development in the implementation, design and supervision of the provision of least cost energy systems for water supply schemes in small towns and rural growth centres, thus improving the water supply services through four years of the ERT Water component Phase II programme.

The Ministry of Water now invites eligible consultants to indicate their interest in providing the services. Interested consultants must provide information indicating that they are qualified to perform the services (description of similar assignments, experience in similar conditions, availability of appropriate skills among staff, knowledge, and specific experience of renewable energy application for provision of water supply, training, monitoring and impact evaluation, promotion of private sector participation, etc.). Consultants may associate to enhance their qualifications. A consultant will be selected in accordance with the procedures set out in the World Bank’s Guidelines: Selection and Employment of Consultants by World Bank Borrowers (h) (current edition).

Interested consultants may obtain further information and /or send their expression of interest by 24 March 2009 to: The Head – Procurement & Disposal Unit, Attn: Alfred Lapyem, Ministry of Water and Environment, 22/28 Old Port Bell Road, Luzira, PO Box 20026, Kampala. Tel: +256 414 505 942, Fax: +256 414 505 941, Email: ps@mwe.go.ug or Alfred.lapyem@mwe.go.ug. Finanz: Weltbank, Loan-Nr. Project ID No. P112334.

(Source: Alliance for Rural Electrification - http://www.ruralelec.org/) FYR offers concessions for more small plants FYR Macedonia’s Ministry of Economy has launched a tender for concessions for 20 hydropower projects of up to 5 MW each. Bids are due by 16 April 2009. The tender offers 20year concessions for the development on a design-build-operate-transfer basis of sites in the Vardar, Strumica, and Crni Drim river basins. Concessions winners will be required to elaborate project documentation, secure all licences and fulfil all licence requirements, construct the plants according to the approved project documentation, manage and maintain the facilities, and transfer ownership to the Government at the end of the concession.

For further information and or bid documents, please email viktor.andonov@economy.gov.mk

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ESHA – European Small Hydropower Association Renewable Energy House, Rue d’Arlon 63-67 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

AGENDA March 2009 -

17 March: ESHA 20th Anniversary Reception to be held in the Renewable Energy House in Brussels.

Access in upon invitation only. For further information, please contact ESHA

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16-22 March: 5th World Water Forum will be held in Istanbul, Turkey. For further information, please visit www.worldwaterforum5.org or email info@worldwaterforum5.org

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30-31 March: Arabian Power & Water Summit 2009 will take place in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates.

For further information, please visit www.arabianpowerandwater.com

April 2009 -

2-3 April: 2nd European Water Conference will take place in Brussels, Belgium. For further information, please visit www.ewc2009.eu

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20-22 April: 2nd International Conference on Hydropower Technology and Equipment to be held in Beijing, China. For further information, please visit www.hydropower.org.cn/ichte/en/index.jsp

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28-29 April: Small Hydro 2009 co-organised by International Water Power & Dam Construction magazine and ESHA will be held in Vancouver, Canada. For further information please visit www.waterpowermagazine.com/smallhydro2009 or contact Carrieann Stocks on cstocks@progressivemediagroup.com

May 2009 -

11-16 May: Electricity Regulatory Initiative Seminar (ELRI) organised by the ICH and to be held in Oslo, Norway. Deadline for applications is the 1 April 2009. For further information, please contact laura@ich.no or visit www.ich.no

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17-21 May: World Environmental and Water Resources Congress will take place in Kansas City, MS, USA. For further information, please contact Adele Dicken at adicken@asce.org or visit www.hydro.org/conference2009

June 2009 -

24-26 June: IHA Congress 2009 will take place in Reykjavik, Iceland. For further information, please visit www.hydropower.org

July 2009 -

27-30 July: Waterpower XVI will take place in Spokane, WA, USA. For further information, please email info@hcipub.com or visit www.hcipub.com

August 2009 -

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10-14 August: International Association of Hydraulic Engineering and Research 33rd Biennial Congress to be held in Vancouver, Canada.

For further information, Ms. Gardiner on IAHRConferenceManager@asce.org ESHA â&#x20AC;&#x201C; European Small Hydropower Association Renewable Energy House, Rue dâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;Arlon 63-67 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

October 2009 -

5-9 October: Hydropower Financing and Project Economy organised by the ICH Norway. For further information, please contact laura@ich.no

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14-15 October: The British Hydropower Association Annual Conference 2009 “Hydro in the driving seat” will take place in Liverpool, UK. For further information, please contact the BHA on +44 1202 880 333 or send an e-mail Ellan Parry

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26-28 October: Hydro 2009 will take place in Lyon, France. For further information, please email edit@hydropower-dams.com or visit www.hydropower-dams.com

November 2009 -

16-17 November: 3rd European Renewable Energy Policy Conference organised by EREC will take place in Brussels. For further information, please visit www.erec.org/policyconference2009.

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25-28 November: Hydro Energy 2009 – International Exhibition on Micro and Mini Hydro-Electric Power will take place at the Milan Fair Centre in Italy. For further information on the programme and registration, please download the brochure.

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30 November – 5 December: Hydropower, the Environment and Social Issues in Latin America will take place in La Antigua, Guatemala. Deadline for applications is 1 September 2009. For further information, please contact laura@ich.no

February 2010 -

1-3 February: Invitation to submit abstracts for Hydropower’ 10. 6th International Conference on Hydropower to be held in Tromsø, Norway. Abstracts, not exceeding 300 words, are invited on the conference topics. The abstracts should include the following information: Title, name, postal and email addresses of author(s) for correspondence and communication. Deadline: 1 April 2009. Abstracts should be submitted by email to: cm@ich.no. For further information, please visit http://www.hydropower10.org/

ESHA Sponsor Members:

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.

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ESHA – European Small Hydropower Association Renewable Energy House, Rue d’Arlon 63-67 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