IEAHydropower

Annex VIII - Hydropower Good Practices

Background

Most hydro projects bring important benefits to society, in the form of renewable and sustainable electricity which produces negligible amounts of noxious emissions or greenhouse gases. However, hydropower can sometimes have disadvantages, such as adverse effects on the Discharge for Sightseeingwater and shoreline ecosystems of rivers, and on the communities in the project area. In the planning and design of new hydro projects, and in the improvement of existing installations, it is important to avoid such negative effects, or to take mitigation measures to reduce them as much as possible.

Annex VIII Study

As a continuation from the outcome of the Annex III “Hydropower and the Environment” (1995-2000), the IEA Hydropower Agreement formed a task force, Annex VIII, led by Japan, to document successful mitigation measures for the ten key issues (KIs) in the design and operation of hydropower projects. The Final Hydropower Good Practices: Environmental Mitigation Measures and Benefits has recently been published.

Objectives of the study

The aim of Annex VIII was to document examples of hydropower good practice to:

  • provide information useful for the design and planning of hydropower projects
  • verify whether Environmental Impact Assessments have served their intended purpose
  • respond to regulatory and other requirements from government authorities
  • assist with explanations in public hearings
  • respond to concerns expressed by opponents of a project
  • disseminate information about environmental conservation measures within hydropower projects
  • support the avoidance of negative environmental impacts and optimize positive outcomes in hydropower practice

The Report

The report consists of a 26 page Summary Report and sixty extensively documented Case Histories, which were collected from 20 countries. Despite some regional bias, favoring certain countries and continents, this is the first report in which so many examples of Good Practice have been systematically collected worldwide. An extensive process of selection and review of Case Histories was conducted through a series of 7 Expert Meetings, and 4 Open Workshops and Symposia.

The Good Practice Reports (GPRs) reveal a tremendous diversity of content, and illustrate that effective mitigation measures have been developed and implemented to manage environmental and social key issues related to hydropower projects, and that hydropower projects can provide the affected local community with sustainable growth through a publicly disclosed process.

The report is suited for dissemination to a wide spectrum of stakeholders including developers who implement hydropower projects, governmental organizations, investment institutions, non-government organizations, and regional inhabitants so that the sustainability of hydropower can be evaluated in an appropriate and objective manner.

Downloading the report

  • Individual case studies - Summary report and Case studies are listed below in pdf format
  • Hard copy of the report - Go to end of Case Studies if you wish to order a hard copy of the report

    • Key Issues and Case Studies

    The case studies are best read in conjunction with the Summary Report.

    The ten key issues (KIs), with corresponding case studies are as follows:

    Biophysical Impacts

    KI-1 Biological Diversity


    KI-2 Hydrological Regimes

    KI-3 Fish Migration and River Navigation

    KI-4 Reservoir Sedimentation

    KI-5 Water Quality

    Okinawa Seawater Pumped Storage Project




    KI-6 Reservoir Impoundment



    Socio-Economic Impacts

    KI-7 Resettlement

    KI-8 Minority Groups

    KI-9 Public Health

    KI-10 Landscape and Cultural Heritages

    Sharing of Development Benefits

    KI-11 Benefits due to Power Generation

    KI-12 Benefits due to Dam Function

    KI-13 Improvement of Infrastructure

    KI-14 Development of Regional Industries


    KI-15 - Others

    To obtain a hard copy of the report



    The full Good Practices report consists of a 26 page hard copy summary document and a CD-Rom of the 60 case studies. The report is free, but a small fee is charged for postage, packaging and handling. Order your copy now!





    For more information

    Inquiries about this Annex should be directed to:

    Mr Tokio Morimoto
    New Energy Foundation(NEF)
    3-6 Kioicho, Chiyoda-ku
    Tokyo 102-8555, JAPAN
    Tel: +(81) 3 5275 9824
    Fax: +(81) 3 5275 0931
    E-mail: Mr Tokio Morimoto



    The IEA Hydropower Agreement is keen to promote its work programmes within participating countries and to encourage further interest in its work from non-participating countries. All OECD countries are eligible to participate fully. In addition, the IEA Governing Board has decided that the Implementing Agreements may also be open to non-member countries. If you are interested in finding out more about IEA Hydropower, please contact the ExCo Secretary.