World Congress on Advancing Sustainable Hydropower
Antalya, Turkey | 29-31 May, 2007
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Hydropower Congress Discusses
Renewable Energy's Progress and Potential;
Debates Social and Environmental Impacts
L-R: Sundershan Kumar Garg, National Hydropower Corporation, India; Israel Phiri, Ministry of Energy and Water Development, Zambia; Simon D'Ujanga, Minister of State for Energy, Uganda; Atila Atac, Turkish State Hydraulic Works; Anita Utseth, Deputy Minister for Petroleum and Energy, Norway; Irene Freudenschuss-Reichl, Director General, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Austria.
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The International Hydropower Association (IHA) World Congress on Advancing Sustainable Hyropower convened for its second day on Wednesday. The Congress addressed: renewable energy's progress and potential; technical innovation; national perspectives on hydropower development; and the social and environmental performance of hydropower.
The day began with a session on potential and progress in renewable energy, co-chaired by Peter Rae, Chairman, International Renewable Energy Alliance (IREA) and Noam Lior, Editor-in-Chief, ENERGY - The International Journal, with panelists from the Turkish Hydropower Association (TURSEB), International Energy Agency (IEA), International Solar Energy Association (ISES), International Geothermal Association (IGA), World Wind Energy Assosciation (WWEA), IHA and Global Village Energy Partnership. Participants discussed, inter alia, the need to monitor the social impacts of biomass projects and reduce the price of solar technology. Rae emphasized that humanity already has the necessary renewable energy sources and technologies available to answer the challenges of climate change, the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) and sustainable development.
Terry Moss, VGB PowerTech / IHA Vice President, chaired a session on technical innovation in hydropower development, with panelists from EDF, Voith Siemens Hydropower Generation, Alstom Power Hydro, Andritz VATech Hydro GmbH, Three Gorges Project Corporation, and the European Small Hydropower Association (ESHA). Participants discussed the scale effect in tidal power, the economics of the Wells turbine, and the potential for pump-back storage to back up wind at a global scale.
After lunch, a roundtable on national perspectives on hydropower development was chaired by Alessandro Palmieri, Lead Dam Specialist in the World Bank's Quality Assurance and Compliance Unit, with participants from the Austrian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, National Hydro Power Corporation of India, the Norwegian Ministry of Petroleum and Industry, Turkish State Hydraulic Works (DSİ), the Ugandan Ministry of Minerals and Energy, and the Zambian Ministry of Energy and Water Development. Participants shared their national experiences, and discussed funding challenges of public- and private-sector projects.
The day closed with a session on social and environmental issues related to hydropower, chaired by Manfred Konukiewitz, Deputy Director General, Global and Sector Policies, Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ), Germany. Case studies were presented by the WWF Living Mekong Programme, Zambian Electricity Supply Company, Chinese National Research Centre for Resettlement, and the Nature Conservancy.
Kunokiewitz then led a panel discussion with members from the Asian Development Bank (ADB), Deutsche Gesellschaft für Technische Zusammenarbeit (GTZ), Mekong River Commission (MRC), Norwegian Resources and Energy Directorate (NVE), WWF Zambia, and the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP). Discussion focused on finding balance and synergies between the dual needs of power generation and environmental protection.
During the closing session, a special statement was made on behalf of Turkish NGOs opposed to three planned hydropower projects. Responses were given by representatives of DSİ, Andritz VATech Hydro, and the IHA.
In the evening, the IHA Council held its meeting at the Talya hotel.
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Wednesday, 30 May
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Renewable Energy - Potential and Progress
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Peter Rae, Chairman, IREA, provided an outline of REN21, a global policy network that provides a forum for international leadership on renewable energy.
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Noam Lior, Editor-in-Chief, ENERGY - The International Journal, stressed the need to deal with renewables in a forthright way.
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Atillâ Akalın, Board Member, TURSEB, discussed the technical and financial capacity of hydroelectricity and wind power in Turkey.
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Dolf Gielen, Senior Energy Analyst, IEA, said that bioenergy comprises 10% of today's total energy use, though most of that is traditional biomass.
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Isao Ike Yukawa, Adviser and Former President of Kyocera Solar Energy and Vice President of ISES, emphasized renewable energy as the answer to sustainable development. |
Bjarni Bjarnason, Executive Vice President of Landsvirkjun and Director, IGA, said 0.1% of the heat stored in Earth's crust would meet global energy needs for 13,500 years.
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Tanay Sidki Uyar, Vice President, WWEA, urged delegates to tackle problems collaboratively and avoid transferring obsolete technologies to other parts of the world.
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Roger Gill, IHA Vice President, emphasized the critical importance of applying sustainability science to hydropower.
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Sarah Adams, Manager, Global Village Energy Partnership, highlighted a village micro hydropower project in Orissa, India.
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Hydropower Development - Technical Innovation
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Terry Moss, VGB PowerTech / IHA Vice President, chaired the session and introduced the panelists.
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Henri Jacquet-Francillon, EDF, discussed tidal power, a "forgetton source" of renewable energy.
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Jochen Weilepp, Voith Siemens Hydropower Generation, said we are in a pioneering age for wave and tidal technologies.
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Alejandro Fernandez, Alstom Power Hydro, discussed his company's Mini-Hydro Standardization Programme.
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Alexander Schwab, Andritz VATech Hydro GmbH, said pumped storage hydropower is experiencing renewed popularity in Europe.
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Cai Zhiguo, Division Chief, Three Gorges Project Corporation, outlined environmental concerns associated with the project.
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Bernhard Pelikan, President, ESHA, suggested that the IHA Sustainability Guidelines be made more applicable to small hydropower.
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David Harrison, The Nature Conservancy, highlighted pumped storage hydropower's potential as part of regional energy schemes.
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Jon Ulrik Haaheim, Statkraft, noted that even without pumping, reservoirs could provide capacity for demand peaks within a diversified regional grid.
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Hydropower Development - National/Regional Perspectives
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Alessandro Palmieri, World Bank, chaired the panel on national perspectives.
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Irene Freudenschuss-Reichl, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Austria, discussed energy related activities of the Austrian Development Cooperation.
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Anita Utseth, Deputy Minister of Petroleum and Energy, Norway, said that 99% of the country's electricity is produced by hydropower.
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Atilla Ataç, Deputy Department Head, Investigation and Planning, DSİ, discussed DSİ's role in Turkey's energy policy.
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Simon D'Ujanga, Minister of State for Energy, Uganda, described new hydropower projects being developed to help address Uganda's current energy crisis. |
Israel Phiri, Ministry of Energy and Water Development, Zambia, explained that is an exciting time in Africa, and specifically in Zambia, for developing hydropower.
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Sudershan Garg, Chairman and Managing Director, National Hydro Power Corporation, India, emphasized the issues of rehabilitation and resettlement.
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Katai Kachasa, Zambia, encouraged donor countries to set aside funds for private sector development projects in Africa.
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Morten Svelle, Policy Director Sustainable Economic Development, Norad, asked Minister D'Ujanga of Uganda how Norad could be of assistance.
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Hydropower - Social and Economic Performance
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Session Chair Manfred Konukiewitz, Deputy Director General, Global and Sector Policies, BMZ, noted that in "good hydro," environmental and social management has been mainstreamed.
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Andrew Scanlon, IHA, served as facilitator.
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Marc Goichot, WWF Living Mekong Programme, presented a joint ADB, MRC and WWF project in the Mekong region to develop environmental criteria for hydropower development projects.
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Ramos Kamanga, Head, Hydrology Department, Zambian Electricity Supply Company, described a partnership to restore the Kafue flats.
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Shi Guoqing, National Research Centre for Resettlement, China, emphasized that resettlement is one of the large impacts of hydropower and therefore successful resettlement is vital.
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David Harrison, The Nature Conservancy, described ways to integrate environmental flow considerations into hydropower projects in the Yangtze River.
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Pradeep Perera, ADB, discussed the promotion of benefits sharing in the Mekong region.
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Michael Fink, GTZ, said GTZ is working toward practical initiatives to improve environmental and social performance.
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Michael Waters, Mekong River Commission, explained the MRC advocates an environmental flows approach.
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Bjorn Wold, NVE, said that Norway's positive experience of hydropower development was due to a firm legal framework.
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James Phiri, WWF Zambia, described WWF's approach to hydropower as solutions-oriented.
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Alberto Calcagno, UNEP, emphasized the importance of disseminating hydropower practices.
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Elenestina Mwela, Zambian Electricity Supply Company, noted that dialogue between industry and evironmental groups was a way forward for sustainable hydropower.
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Dalip Dua, Krishna Hydro Projects, stressed the importance of finding environmental flows that do not negatively impact hydropower output.
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Lutz Blank, European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, urged strategic planning for hydropower, expressing reluctance to fund projects that lack this.
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Perspectives of Affected People
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Left: At the invitation of IHA President Doğan Altınbilek, Diren Özkan, Initiative to Keep Hasankeyf Alive, read a statement against certain Turkish hydropower projects that she said violated IHA sustainability guidelines and would destroy historic sites.
Right: Atilla Ataç, DSİ, agreed that it was important to listen to NGOs, but highlighted the Turkish government's funding of cultural and archaeological studies of affected sites.
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Left: Alexander Schwab of Andritz VATech Hydro, which is building one of the dams, said the process was transparent, residents were consulted, most historic areas were unaffected, and with more funding, affected historical monuments could be moved.
Right: IHA President Altınbilek stressed that the sustainability guidelines are voluntary, and that IHA does not police the industry, but that it was important to hear all views, including those in opposition.
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Around the Congress
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The IHA Council held its meeting in the evening.
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During dinner after the Council meeting, a laser displayed "IHA" on the face of a cliff by the harbor.
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Related Links
Congress Web Site
International Hydropower Association
UNESCO Water
World Water Council
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