We have entered an era where climate risk is real, with extreme events and changes in hydrological patterns increasingly expected.

Governments, industry and financial institutions seek to encourage projects to be resilient to climate change, while businesses must consider how to incorporate climate-related risks and opportunities into project design and operations.

The central Asian country of Tajikistan is particularly vulnerable to the impacts of climate change. Climate change projections foresee impacts on precipitation, glacial melting and extreme weather events, leading to greater hydrological variability in the region’s river flows. Naturally, these changes also carry implications for the hydropower sector that provides 98% of electricity for the mountainous country.

This webinar explores how climate resilience was integrated in the upgrade and rehabilitation of Qairokkum Hydropower Station in Northern Tajikistan.

Craig Davies, associate director for climate change adaptation at the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD), explains how climate change information was used to inform the project design, how different design options were then evaluated and how the project was able to benefit from international cooperation.