/ESHA_Newsletter-March08_E by Info Esha

Eel

EUROPEAN SMALL HYDROPOWER ASSOCIATION Newsletter – March 2008

Table of contents EUROPEAN SMALL HYDROPOWER ASSOCIATION ........................................................................................................... 1 NEWS from ESHA .................................................................................................................................................................... 2 HIDROENERGIA 2008 - Early Bird Registration till 31 March 2008 .................................................................................... 2 Lauha Fried joins ESHA as Policy Officer ............................................................................................................................. 2 SHERPA National Policy Workshop, Italy ............................................................................................................................. 2 SHAPES Project .................................................................................................................................................................... 2 Sustainable Energy Technology at Work .............................................................................................................................. 2 Eel Tests: Fish-Friendliness Confirmed ................................................................................................................................. 3 MHyLab searches for a hydro-mechanic engineer and a study engineer ............................................................................. 3 Changes ahead for hydropower in the UK ............................................................................................................................ 3 France’s GPAE and ECOWATT merge ................................................................................................................................. 3 NEWS from the RENEWABLE ENERGY HOUSE ................................................................................................................... 4 Expansion of the Renewable Energy House in Brussels ...................................................................................................... 4 EREC Policy Workshop in EUSEW 2008 .............................................................................................................................. 4 EWEC 2008: 31 March- 3 April 2008 - Brussels, Belgium .................................................................................................... 4 European Solar Days, 16-17 May 2008................................................................................................................................. 4 16th European Biomass Conference & Exhibition, 2-6 June 2008, Valencia, Spain ............................................................ 5 NEWS from European Institutions ......................................................................................................................................... 5 New RES-Directive ................................................................................................................................................................ 5 EACI Call for Proposals ......................................................................................................................................................... 5 In Brief ....................................................................................................................................................................................... 5 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

NEWS from ESHA HIDROENERGIA 2008 - Early Bird Registration till 31 March 2008 ESHA, together with the Slovenian Small Hydropower Association, SSHA, have published the Second Announcement and Call for Papers for Hidroenergia 2008, the largest and most important conference on the Small Hydropower sector in Europe, which will take place in the stunning town of Bled, Slovenia, from 11-13 June 2008. The conference programme will be available soon and sponsorship and exhibition opportunities are already open. Should you wish to receive the programme, book an exhibition stand, or simply register, please send an email to hidroenergia@esha.be For any further information, please visit www.esha.be or send an email to hidroenergia

Lauha Fried joins ESHA as Policy Officer ESHA warmly welcomes its new addition to the team. Ms. Lauha Fried joined ESHA at the end of February 2008 as Policy Officer and will be dealing with all European policy issues relating to Small Hydropower. Lauha holds a Masters degree in Political Science with a specialisation in European Affairs. Lauha previously worked on regional development, urban affairs and telecommunications. She can be reached at lauha.fried@esha.be

SHERPA National Policy Workshop, Italy In the framework of the SHERPA project, APER, the Italian Association of Renewable Energy Producers, is organising a Policy Workshop focusing on environmental aspects of SHP. The workshop will take place in Milan on 15 April 2008 and is free of charge. ESHA members and other stakeholders are welcome to attend the event. The SHERPA project is partially funded by the EACI and aims to achieve better market penetration for SHP. For further information, please contact Gema San Bruno or visit www.esha.be

SHAPES Project SHAPES stands for “small hydro action for the promotion of efficient solutions” and the duration of the project is 24 months starting from December 2007. The overall goal of the project is to facilitate and strengthen the cooperation between SHP Research and Market actors in order to streamline future R&D and promote results for enhancing penetration of SHP and know-how in the EU and new markets. Information on the new ESHA project SHAPES, partly funded by the European Commission’s DG Research under FP6, is already available on the ESHA website dedicated to the project. Some of the project results, as well as the project itself will be presented on the 11 June 2008 in the framework of Hidroenergia 2008 in Bled, Slovenia. For further information on the project, please contact Gema San Bruno

Sustainable Energy Technology at Work The Technology at Work project will come to an end in March 2008. For this occasion, ESHA will soon organise a Workshop at the Renewable Energy House in Brussels. The event will be free of charge and will focus on SHP and the Clean Development Mechanisms.

The T@W project aims to position European Sustainable Energy Technologies at emerging climate markets, to facilitate a sound development at EU Emission Trading Markets and to support business cooperation between innovative actors at the climate markets. In this respect, ESHA is involved in working with the CDMs, and the Workshop in Brussels will be geared towards bringing together European and non-European business cooperation to develop the EU Emission Trading Markets by putting together SHP and RES industry with Asian markets. Detailed information about the project has been included in a special edition of this newsletter. For further information on the T@W workshop, please contact Gema San Bruno

Eel Tests: Fish-Friendliness Confirmed MJ2 Technologies set up some eel tests using very low head turbines late last year and have shared their preliminary results with ESHA. A batch of 150 eels of sizes from 0.7 to 1.2m were injected at 3 points (the median, inner, and outer) of the VLH turbine in batches of some ten eels at a time and always according to similar sizes. The results so far demonstrate that the estimated average survival rate appears to be greater than 95% altogether compared to the 80-85% survival rate achieved through conventional turbines at very low speed. Furthermore, examination of the deceased eels as well as underwater filming allowed the discovery of origin of eel deaths and MJ2 Technologies is now in the process of modifying their turbine accordingly. As a result, they are confident that the survival rate per turbine could rise to 97-98%. For the full article or further information, please contact Marc Leclerc of MJ2 Technologies.

MHyLab searches for a hydro-mechanic engineer and a study engineer MHyLab, a laboratory active in the field of Small Hydropower in Switzerland and abroad, is searching for a hydro-mechanic engineer and a study engineer to join its team. If you are interested in applying for one of these positions, please send your CV and a cover letter to Mr. Vincent Denis.

Changes ahead for hydropower in the UK The British Hydropower Association (BHA) is keeping ESHA afresh of small hydropower development in the UK, especially after a new Energy Bill is to be enacted during summer 2008. The main provisions of the Energy Bill are: measures on gas importation and storage, measures related to the decommissioning of nuclear power installations, and on changes to measures to promote renewable energy sources. The Energy Bill will give effect to the proposed changes to the Renewables Obligation (RO) from an obligation to supply electricity from renewable sources to an obligation to present Renewable Obligation Certificates (ROCs). BHA is concerned that qualification introduced for micro generation of below 50kW will adversely affect the development of some hydropower plants and have made representations to the Government for a higher threshold of 100kW. It is also difficult to know what effects the changes to the RO will have on hydropower and, as they will be introduced at the time when the Government will be launching its new renewable energy strategy, where the RO will fit in. BHA believes all the uncertainty created by this change may well lead to a slow down in developments until the middle of next year. For the full article or for more information on the future of hydropower in the UK, please contact the British Hydropower Association

France’s GPAE and ECOWATT merge At a time when France has committed itself to an ambitious programme of sustainable renewable energy development, encouraged by the European targets, GPAE and ECOWATT have merged to form a sole syndicate: France HydroÉlectricité. France Hydro-Électricité’s Press Release (in French only) describes its objectives including defending the

interests of the small producers while favouring constructive dialogue and participating in works of the companies dealing with renewable electricity production and water resource management. For further information on France Hydro-Électricité, please contact Mr. Olivier Roussel

NEWS from the RENEWABLE ENERGY HOUSE Expansion of the Renewable Energy House in Brussels Similarly to the ever increasing share of renewables in the European energy mix, the Renewable Energy House is also expanding and was extended in early January 2008. The extension has resulted in a total of nearly 3.000 m2 of historical monument protected buildings in the centre of the European quarter in Brussels relying on 100% renewables for all heating and cooling needs. For further information, please visit the EREC website

EREC Policy Workshop in EUSEW 2008 EREC organised a European Renewable Energy Policy Workshop on 29 January 2008 during the European Union Sustainable Energy Week (EUSEW) which took place in Brussels from 28 January – 1 February 2008. The workshop was aimed at policy makers on the local, national and European level, with the objectives of evaluating the Renewable Energy Framework Directive and its proposal which was produced by the European Commission on the 23 January 2008, presenting the industries perception of it as well as providing a discussion forum for market and policy prospects, exchange of experience, reinforced policies and new renewable energy initiatives. For further information on the EREC Policy Workshop and to access the presentations, please visit the EREC Website

EWEC 2008: 31 March- 3 April 2008 - Brussels, Belgium Building on the success of previous events, EWEC 2008 offers you the opportunity to bring your knowledge of wind and electricity issues right up to date. Combining increased political support for wind energy with a dynamic conference programme, EWEC 2008 offers a unique opportunity for you to engage with business leaders, scientists and policy makers at the highest level. In an increasingly competitive marketplace, up-to-date industry knowledge and access to the leading players is vital to sustain competitive advantage. Do not miss this unique opportunity! For further information, please visit the EWEC website.

European Solar Days, 16-17 May 2008 Co-organised by EPIA and ESTIF, the First European Solar Days will take place on 16 and 17 May 2008. The objective of the event is to raise awareness on solar energy (both thermal and electricity) towards the end-user and relevant mutiplicators as universities, municipalities, etc… The event will be spread along two days in order to organise visits to factories, solar parks in various locations and to propose local activities with the citizens. For further information please contact ESTIF or EPIA

16th European Biomass Conference & Exhibition, 2-6 June 2008, Valencia, Spain Over 2,000 participants from over 80 countries are expected to attend the 16th European Biomass Conference and Exhibition taking place from the 2 - 6 June 2008 in Valencia, Spain and co-organised by EUBIA. The Exhibition, taking place in parallel with the Conference will feature the foremost companies and state-of-the-art products in the Biomass Industries. Scientists, industry experts, suppliers, applicants, funding bodies and decision makers are all invited to Spain, a country that has recognised the importance of renewable energy and is promoting it on a large scale, having fully committed to the generation of clean energy and the reduction of CO2 emissions. For further information, please visit www.conference-biomass.com

NEWS from European Institutions New RES-Directive On 23 January 2008, the European Commission published a package proposal that will deliver the European Council’s commitments to fight climate change and promote renewable energy. The package seeks to install legislation in the European Union to reduce greenhouse gases by at least 20% (this target will be increased to 30% by 2020 as soon as a new global climate change agreement is reached). For renewable energy, a Directive on the promotion of the use of energy from renewable sources was proposed which provides the legislative base of implementing the binding 20% renewable energy share in energy consumption by 2020. The Directive will need to be adopted by the European Parliament and the European Council (co-decision procedure). Timely adoption is crucial in view of the fact that the existing directives on RES electricity and biofuels contain targets until 2010 and it is of utmost importance to have the new directive in place before 2010 in order to avoid investor insecurity. The Directive proposal contains legally binding national targets according to which Member States should adopt national action plans to set out the Member States’ targets for the shares of energy from renewable sources in transport, electricity, and heating and cooling in 2020 and adequate measures to be taken to achieve these targets. Member States shall notify their national action plans to the Commission by 31 March 2010 at the latest. ESHA is working on the follow-up of the Directive approval and the role of SHP towards achieving the RES targets. For further information concerning the Directive, please email info@esha.be

EACI Call for Proposals The 2008 call for proposals was published on 12 March 2008, opening this year’s application period for IEE funding. Some € 45 million are available to co-finance European projects for the promotion of energy efficiency and renewables, and setting up of local or regional energy agencies. ESHA attended the European Info Day 2008 which took place in Brussels in January 2008, and will keep a close eye on the call as it wishes to be involved in the IEE programme this year. ESHA is also looking for persons interested in project partnership. For further information, please visit the EACI website or contact Gema San Bruno

In Brief Voith Siemens Hydro acquires Kössler Voith Siemens Hydro agreed the acquisition of the Austrian Small Hydro enterprise of Kössler in order to further expand its Small Hydro activities. Kössler’s 80 years of small hydro experience combined with 140 years of Voith Siemens Hydro’s business enterprise will complement each other extremely well, with their common goal being to deliver machines as well as completed small hydro plants. (Kössler Ges.m.b.H)

Atel buys Swiss SHP Atel Ecopower, the arm of Atel dealing with small hydropower, announced in November 2007 its acquisition of four small hydro projects on the Birs river in Basel-Land canton from Ziegler Papier. The four plants which have a combined capacity of 2.2 MW and generate 12GWh/year have licences till 2077. Atel Ecopower is increasing its commitment to SHP and announced its plans to invest US$ 164.7 million in the development of SHP plants in Norway over the next 7 years (Hydropower and Dams, Issue 6, 2007) French utility acquires six hydro projects GEG Source d’Energies, the power production and marketing subsidiary of the municipal-controlled utility Gaz Electrciité de Grenoble in south-eastern France announced on 16 January 2008 that it had acquired hydropower projects with a combined installed capacity of 6.25 MW. GEG said the acquisition of the six hydro stations had raised its total combined hydropower capacity to 24.25 MW and annual hydro production to 95 GWh. (Hydropower & Dams, Issue 1, 2008) Tellisford Mill small hydro developers win Rushlight Award The owners of the 600 kW Tellisford Mill SHP plant near Frome in Somerset, UK, have won the 2007 Rushlight Hydropower Award, in recognition of their “significant achievement in advancing the use of hydropower in the UK”. The Rushlight Awards aim to celebrate and promote achievements in environmental and technical innovations. Hydropower was one of 26 categories put forth, together with other renewable energies (wind, solar, marine, biomass), as well as waste management, noise abatement etc. (Hydropower and Dams, Issue 6, 2007) EDP buys mini hydro plants Portugal’s power company Energias de Portugal (EDP), in partnership with Banco Espírito Santo de Investimento (BESI), have purchased 11 mini hydro plants in Portugal from Australia’s Babcock & Brown Hydro Holdings. The plants have a total capacity 89.1 MW, and operating licences which expire between 2025 and 2040. (Hydropower & Dams, Issue 1, 2008) Small hydro for Sao Tome and Principe The Portuguese company Soares da Costa is to finance, build, own and operate 12 small hydro plants with a combined capacity of 30 MW in Sao Tome and Principe, and at a total cost of around €3 million. All the output of the plants will sold to the State company, Empresa de Agua é Electricidade (EMAE), which has a monopoly on the production and sale of electricity and water on the archipelago. (Hydropower & Dams, Issue 1, 2008) Funds for Small Hydro The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) has approved loans of €54 million for construction of 9 small hydropower plants with a total capacity of 25.7 MW on Bulgaria’s Iskar River. The run-ofriver Vez Svoghe Mini hydro project is to be constructed by Vez Svoghe Ltd and is to be fully automated to maintain a constant water level and avoid flooding. The plant’s total annual generation of 137.2 GWh will be delivered to Bulgaria’s national grid. (International Water Power & Dam Construction, January 2008) Concession awarded for new Bosnian SHP Bosnjak Promet has been granted a 30 year build, operate, and transfer concession by the Government of the Prozor-Rama County in central Bosnia-Herzegovina for the construction of a 3 MW hydropower plant. The plant is expected to generate average annual electricity output of 12.5 GWh. (Hydropower and Dams, Issue 6, 2007) Small hydro scheme to be developed in NZ Initial investigations by WestPower of New Zealand into a small hydro scheme in the country’s south Westland region have confirmed the scheme’s feasibility. The 6 MW Amethyst hydro project is situated in the Wanganui valley, near Hari Hari, on New Zealand’s south island. (Hydropower and Dams, Issue 6, 2007) Dak Ro Sa begins service in Vietnam The Dak Ro Sa hydropower plant in Kon Tum province in Vietnam’s Central Highlands began commercial operation in November 2007. The 7.5 MW plant, which is projected to produce 45 GWh/year, was developed at a cost of US$ 9 million by the Dak Ro Sa Hydroelectric Company. (Hydropower and Dams, Issue 6, 2007) Two more schemes go ahead in Vietnam Work began in late December 2007 on Nam Pung hydropower plant in the Bat Xat district of Lao Cai province, Vietnam. The 9.3 MW plant is projected to produce an average annual output of 30 GWh. (Hydropower & Dams, Issue 1, 2008) UNEP and GEF micro-hydro project launched The Global Environment Facility (GEF) and UNEP (UN Environment Programme) have joined forces to deliver small-scale hydropower projects to East African states. The initiative aims to deliver 10 MW of hydropower to the tea industry within 6 years with the African Development Bank serving as coimplementer. For the initiative, six pilot small hydro-demonstration projects covering at least four of the listed projects would be constructed, generating 10 MW of power within four years. ( www.minihydropower.net/news)

The IFC scaling up lending to hydropower The IFC, the arm of the World Bank that lends to private companies, generally lends to medium size hydro but have lately been lending to smaller projects such as the Ishasha example (please see below). They are also interested in mini-hydro that when bundled together can add up to some 20 MW. Mr. Tonci Bakovic, Chief Energy Specialist at IFC contacted ESHA with this information as well as a downloadable presentation, adding that the IFC only lends to projects in emerging markets, including South East Europe. For further information, please contact Mr. Bakovic. IFC approves funds for Ishasha The International Finance Corporation of the World Bank recently approved a US$4 million loan for a hydropower project in southwest Uganda. The project involves the construction of a 6.5 MW hydro plant in the Kanungu district on the Ishasha river, as well as a 10km transmission line to connect it to the national grid. The project is expected to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 22 100 t of CO2 per year. (Hydropower and Dams, Issue 6, 2007) South African firm to develop micro hydro in Uganda Okhela Renewable Energy Corporation, a South African energy company eyes the Ugandan energy market through the development of renewable energy. In the first phase of the project, the company plans to invest € 3.5 million to produce 10 MW of electricity from domestic wastes but will also develop microhydro power dams that produce around 5 MW of electricity on various small rivers in the country. ( www.minihydropower.net/news)

Tenders th

EGAT of Thailand seeks bids for two schemes EGAT seeks sealed bids by 25 April 2008 for the design, manufacture, shop testing, delivery to site, supervision of installation, field testing, commissioning and guarantee of the equipment for the 6.7 MW Pasak Jolasid hydro, as well as for the 10 MW Khun Dan Prakarnchon hydroelectric power project (bids by 10 May 2008) The projects will be financed from EGAT’s owned funds. The bidding documents will be available for purchase till 10 April and 7 May, respectively, following payment of non refundable costs of US$ 230. For further information, please call the Procurement and Contract Department of the Electricity Generating Authority of Thailand on +662 433 9774. (Hydropower & Dams, Issue 1, 2008)

Agenda March 2008 -

31 March-4 April: Legal Framework in Hydropower Development - Enhancing the Development of Hydropower through Efficient Management Systems is organised by the International Centre for Hydropower and will take place in Trondheim, Norway. For further information, please visit www.ich.no

April 2008 -

13-16 April: US National Hydropower Association Annual Conference will be held in Washington, DC. For further information, please call +1 816 931 13111 ext. 108 or visit www.hydro.org

June 2008

11-13 June: HIDROENERGIA 2008, the International Conference on Small Hydropower will be held in Bled, Slovenia, and is organised by the Slovenian Small Hydropower Association and ESHA. For further information, please contact ESHA at hidroenergia@esha.be or visit the websites www.esha.be and www.zdmhe.si

9-26 June: Hydropower Development & Management – Management of Social Aspects of Hydropower Development, Trondheim, Norway. For further information, please visit www.ich.no 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

23-27 June: Singapore International Water Week – Sustainable Water Solutions for Cities will take place in Singapore. For further information, please contact info@siww.com.sg or visit www.siww.com.sg

July 2008 -

14-18 July: HydroVision 2008 to be held in Sacramento, USA, will be organised by HCI publications. For further information, please visit http://hcipub.com/hydrovision/index.asp or email info@hcipub.com

September 2008 -

1-8 September.: Hydropower & the Environment – Management of Environmental and Social Aspects of Hydropower Development, Trondheim, Norway. For further information, please visit www.ich.no

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

Hidroenergia 2008, International Conference on Small Hydropower Hidroenergia 2008: "On the Crossroads", Slovenia Bled 11-13 June 2008. Organized by ESHA and the Slovenian Small Hydropower Association More info at www.esha.be

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.