Agenda ESHA Governing Board Crieff, 7th June 2006, 14.00 – 18.00 Crieff Hydro Hotel, Earn Room Participants: Bernhard Pelikan Christer Söderberg Jan-Åke Jacobson Christine Lins Steve Cryer Fiacc O’Brolchain Francesco Cariello Hugues Albanel Jean-Pierre Corbet Jørgen Krogsgaard Maria Laguna Miroslav Bartušek Nino Frosio Peter Schubert Philippe Beutin Sara Gollessi Sreten Škuletic Vincent Denis Emilio Font de Mora Wendy Lakin
ESHA SERO SERO ESHA BHA IHPA APER GPAE SCPTH ESHA ELZACO APER KÖ ADEME APER University of Montenegro MHyLab APPA ESHA
Bernhard Pelikan welcomed the Board Members and especially welcomed new Board Member Emilio Font de Mora, new International Analyst in APPA and Jan-Åke Jacobson, who was appointed President of SERO Hydropower since Christer Söderberg was recently named President of SERO.
ESHA – European Small Hydropwer 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, I: www.esha.be
The following points of the agenda were discussed. 1. Overview on Hidroenergia, Crieff, Scotland Steve Cryer gave an overview on the conference activities and programme. 260 participants and 12 exhibitors are registered in the conference. ESHA has co-organised two parallel sessions: one on the WFD together with BHA, and another one on R&D together with IEA. 2.
Overview of ongoing activities a) WFD Maria explained the work done by ESHA working group on the WFD. This work is inputting the discussions in the Working group on Hydromorphology and WFD (hydropower, navigation and flood control) set up by the EC under the Strategy coordination group for the implementation of the WFD (SCG). Maria explained that this working group is formed by Member States and stakeholders and is developing a policy and a technical paper aiming at showing on the one hand how to best integrate water policy and other policies and to provide a toolbox of best practices on how to deal with WFD and Hydromorphology impacts and measures. ESHA is following up this work, taking part on the meetings and giving input. Maria will send the last version of these papers to the ESHA working group in the following weeks. ESHA has the summer period to provide more inputs and comments. A meeting of the WFD and Hydromorphology working group is set up for the 7th September in Brussels. By the end of the year it is foreseen to have a final paper that will be approved by the Water Directors in their meeting in November in Finland. Bernhard underlined the need for input from ESHA members especially due to the short time left for this activity, and its strategic importance. Steve Cryer raised the issue of the Habitats Directive and abstraction licensing. Christine responded that the Habitats Directive was already passed on EU level and is currently being implemented in Member States. ESHA can be used as a link for National Associations to share their experiences on this issue, but the action should be taken at a National level.
b) Lobbying for inclusion of SHP in FP7 Christine explained that Alex Kotronaros from DG TREN has asked ESHA for information on SHP research priorities in order to get all renewables in the FP7 budget. ESHA has provided him with the strategy document developed by the TNSHP. The ITRE committee of the European Parliament voted on the 30 May on the energy budget allocation for FP7. The Committee Members voted for an overall energy budget of approx. 2.3 Billion Euros. EREC was asking for 2/3 (of non–nuclear budget) allocations for renewable energy and energy efficiency but this point was rejected. That means that lobbying works needs to be continued before the Plenary vote on this point. c) SHYCA Maria explained that ESHA is part of the SHYCA project that aims at analysing SHP potential in Caucasus and Carpathian region (Georgia, Armenia, Azerbaijan and Ukraine) and also to develop 3 portraits of potential SHP retrofitting and new SHP projects. Bernhard presented ESHA activities in a project workshop on 17 May in West Ukraine. Bernhard highlight that he has invited Ukrainian partners to go to Austria to promote business cooperation between Europe and Ukraine.
d) RESTMAC (RES Technology Marketing Campaign) Christine explained that a new project started on the 1st of June. RESTMAC is a RES technology marketing campaign. ESHA is responsible for the SHP part of the campaign. The project is coordinated by EREC. Some funding for Hidroenergia 2006 will be made available from the ESHA budget of this project. Christine explained that the SHP part aims at promoting environmental integration and multipurpose schemes, so is a way of promoting the uptake of R&D results to the market. Christine explained that due to EU funded projects, ESHA gets funding for activities that ESHA will do anyway. So ESHA includes its strategic priorities in the proposals submitted for funding to the EC. e) Technology @ Work Maria explained that this project aims at promoting RES in the CDM markets in Asia. ESHA in responsible for identifying potential CDM projects so this is a way of funding collaboration with INSHP in China. f) Alliance for Rural Electrification Christine explained that the ARE association has been set up, lead by EPIA, in the REH. The Alliance is in the process of drafting its strategy. g) ESHA Participation in events Maria explained that a table of events where ESHA has participated or is going to participate in the future has been included in the Board documentation. If any of the Board members would like to get more information on any of these events they can always contact ESHA Secretariat. h) New members Bernhard explained that the Swiss Association has decided to join ESHA. Bernhard has made contacts with the Czechs, Slovaks and Polish Associations. Bernhard is positively convinced that they will become members in the future, but such decisions need time. 3.
ESHA proposals accepted a) FP6 – SHAPES b) IEE – SHERPA
Christine explained that ESHA has submitted two-project proposals: one for FP6 (Submitted in January) and one for IEE (submitted in January). Both proposals have been accepted. SHAPES is 80% financed by FP6 Programme. It is a project about networking and strengthening cooperation between EU SHP researchers and market actors for the creation of a network on SHP research bodies to shape future SHP European research priorities. The project also foresees actions on refurbishment methodologies, promotion of technical solutions for multipurpose plants and transfer of know-how to India. SHERPA is 50% financed under the IEE programme; the overall objective is to develop a promotion campaign on SHP. The project addresses issues such RES-e vs. WFD, Public image, policy fora, Policy and market analysis in EU-25, and spatial planning and territorial approaches (as a continuation of SPLASH project). Both projects will most likely start in January 2007.
4. Payment of membership fees Christine reminded the Board about the new payment system, based on the installed capacities represented by the Association. She reminded that only the payment of the fees in time gives vote rights in the General Assembly. She distributed the invoices among Board Members. 5.
EREC activities a) REH inauguration Christine explained that the REH was successfully inaugurated on the 22nd March with more than 250 people, and more than 15 TV stations following the event. Commission President JosĂŠ-Manuel Barroso, Belgium Prime Minister Guy Verhofstadt as well as 3 other Commissioners and HRH Prince Laurent of Belgium were present at the inauguration. b) EREC policy conference EREC policy conference has been postponed until 29-31 January 2007. It will be organised by EREC and the German Federal ministry of Environment under the German Presidency of the Union. The Governing Board documentation included the new First Announcement for the conference as well as the available sponsorship packages, which Christine urged the members to pass on to their respective country companies. c) EREC position paper on security of supply EREC has developed a position paper on the security of energy supply as a response to the recently published green paper. Christine underlined that the green paper will be a hot topic in the following years in Brussels, and a main topic for the policy conference.
6. Hydro-Equip / HEA-Europe Jean-Pierre Corbet explained that a meeting was held in the REH in Brussels during the first week of June with Hydro-Equip that includes the main SHP manufacturers. He reiterated the problems with this issue that have been present in the past few years which mainly stems from the fact that most manufacturers are active in the small land large hydro field and are therefore sceptic about an exclusion representation within ESHA. During the meeting, it was discussed and agreed with Hydro-Equip on how to get the industry involved in ESHA. A new association will be set up, the European section of HEA, which is constituted within IHA that will also focus on SHP with the idea of enlarging their targets to promote their hydro lobbying, and thus be more at the Brussels level. They would thus like to sign a partnership of collaboration with ESHA. The main idea was to have a partnership with ESHA with JeanPierre Corbet involved for 2-3 years to see how things progress. Jean-Pierre handed out a sheet with the Scope and Structure of the E-HEA to the members. Christine underscored that E-HEA needs to be clear on what are their expectation from this partnership with ESHA and how they can contribute. Jean Pierre will draft and agreement of collaboration by September.
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Green certificates System in Sweden. Christer explained that there are attemps in Sweden to exclude SHP from the Green certificates system. ESHA will support SERO with a letter of declaration after Hidroenergia that will be sent to the Swedish authorities. Ocean and Marine Energy Association would like to become an EREC member, and as so would come to the REH in January 2007, which could be very interesting collaboration wise with ESHA. On 23-24 October, Bernhard is attending a conference focussing on ocean & marine technologies to see the possible links between ocean and hydro. Christine mentioned that we would now need to move the ESHA headquarters in the statutes to Rue d’Arlon. The REH is already, and much earlier than planned, discussing its extension as the house next door will shortly be put on the market. Negotiations are ongoing.
Bernhard Pelikan closed the session thanking the Board members and wishing everybody a successful Hidroenergia, the next Governing Board and General Assembly will take place in Brussels in the REH on Friday, 13th October 2006.