The International Hydropower Association (IHA) has published a new How-to Guide on Hydropower and Indigenous Peoples to help developers and operators to engage with Indigenous Communities in hydropower development.

The guide provides guidance on working with Indigenous Peoples, achieving international good practice when planning and delivering a hydropower project, and obtaining consent for development.

Read the press release.

Learn more about Indigenous Peoples and explore case studies.

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Hydropower infrastructure can have significant implications for public and environmental safety, and it is important to ensure that any opportunities and risks are managed effectively throughout a project’s life cycle.

IHA' new guide on Hydropower Infrastructure Safety can help developers and operators manage the impacts of hydropower development.

Find out more about the guide.

An ambitious set of principles and recommendations to guide the future of sustainable hydropower development

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The San José Declaration on Sustainable Hydropower, issued on 24 September 2021 at the conclusion of the World Hydropower Congress, outlines a vision for hydropower’s contribution to meeting global climate and development goals.

The declaration arrives as world leaders seek to identify pathways to achieving net-zero emissions by 2050; a target that cannot be realised without the flexibility and balance that sustainable hydropower provides to clean energy systems.

Public consultation

The San José Declaration provides a framework for enhancing hydropower’s role in the clean energy transition. It has been shaped by a wide-ranging public consultation with participation from hundreds of organisations and individuals, including representatives from hydropower industry, NGOs, international financial institutions, NGOs, academia and research institutions.

At the heart of the Declaration is a recognition that sustainable hydropower is a clean, green, modern and affordable solution to climate change. It says that going forward, the only acceptable hydropower is sustainable hydropower.

The Declaration was presented to world leaders at the United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP26) in November.

Read more about the public consultation

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Statements of support

Expressions of support for the San José Declaration on Sustainable Hydropower were given at the conclusion of the World Hydropower Congress during a high-level stakeholder forum. Watch the videos below to see the full collection of statements by government ministers, industry CEOs and NGO leaders.

Read all statements of support

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Download the San José Declaration on Sustainable Hydropower in your preferred language:

• Chinese
• Spanish
• French
• Portuguese
• Russian

Read the press release: International leaders back bold new blueprint for sustainable hydropower

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关于可持续水电的圣何塞宣言确定了一套新的原则建议，以指导新的发展并加强该部门对能源转型的贡献。

它是在 2021 年世界水电大会结束时启动的，经过公众咨询过程，涉及数百个组织和个人，包括政府、非政府组织、水电行业、国际金融机构和学术界的代表。

阅读有关可持续水电圣何塞宣言的更多信息。

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A Declaração de San José sobre Energia Hidrelétrica Sustentável identifica um novo conjunto de recomendações de princípios para orientar o novo desenvolvimento e aumentar a contribuição do setor para a transição energética.

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Ele foi lançado na conclusão do Congresso Mundial de Hidreletricidade de 2021 após um processo de consulta pública que envolveu centenas de organizações e indivíduos, incluindo representantes de governos, ONGs, indústria hidrelétrica, instituições financeiras internacionais e acadêmicos.

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Leia mais sobre a Declaração de San José sobre Energia Hidrelétrica Sustentável.

La Déclaration de San José sur l'hydroélectricité durable identifie un nouvel ensemble de recommandations de principes pour guider les nouveaux développements et renforcer la contribution du secteur à la transition énergétique.
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Il a été lancé à l'issue du Congrès mondial de l'hydroélectricité de 2021 à la suite d'un processus de consultation publique auquel ont participé des centaines d'organisations et de particuliers, notamment des représentants de gouvernements, d'ONG, de l'industrie hydroélectrique, d'institutions financières internationales et d'universités.

En savoir plus sur la Déclaration de San José sur l'hydroélectricité durable.

Декларация Сан-Хосе об устойчивой гидроэнергетике определяет новый набор принципов, рекомендаций для руководства новым развитием и увеличения вклада сектора в энергетический переход.
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Он был запущен по завершении Всемирного конгресса по гидроэнергетике 2021 года после процесса общественных консультаций, в котором участвовали сотни организаций и отдельных лиц, включая представителей правительств, НПО, гидроэнергетики, международных финансовых институтов и академических кругов.

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Узнайте больше о Декларации Сан-Хосе об устойчивой гидроэнергетике.

La Declaración de San José sobre energía hidroeléctrica sostenible identifica un nuevo conjunto de recomendaciones de principios para guiar el nuevo desarrollo y mejorar la contribución del sector a la transición energética.
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Se lanzó al final del Congreso Mundial de Energía Hidroeléctrica de 2021 luego de un proceso de consulta pública que involucró a cientos de organizaciones e individuos, incluidos representantes de gobiernos, ONG, la industria hidroeléctrica, instituciones financieras internacionales y el mundo académico.

Lea más sobre la Declaración de San José sobre energía hidroeléctrica sostenible.

In collaboration with conservation groups and the hydropower industry, the International Hydropower Association (IHA) has published guidance for hydropower planners to design and implement projects that carefully co-exist with and support protected conservation areas.

The good practice guide was developed following consultations with a multi-stakeholder Working Group on Protected Areas, which included the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), the World Wildlife Fund (WWF), The Nature Conservancy (TNC), the UNESCO World Heritage Centre, hydropower developers and operators such as EDF, Renewable Energy Holdings, ICE, as well as IHA.

‍Find out more about the guide

Read the Executive Summary for the findings of the International Forum on Pumped Storage Hydropower's three Working Groups, on Cost, Capabilities and Innovation, Sustainability, and Policy and Market Frameworks.

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Read more about the Forum's latest outcomes.

Read the findings from the International Forum on Pumped Storage Hydropower's Working Group on Costs, Capabilities and Innovations pertaining to 'Innovative Pumped Storage Hydropower Configurations and Uses'.

Download the Guidance note for de-risking pumped storage investments

Read more about the Forum's latest outcomes.

The International Forum on Pumped Storage Hydropower's Policy and Market Frameworks Working Group has released a new paper, 'Pump it up: Recommendations for urgent investment in pumped storage hydropower to back the clean energy transition.'

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The paper discusses and lends recommendations pertaining to how pumped storage hydropower can galvanise investment in order to fulfill its necesary role in the clean energy transition.

Additionally, the Forum has created several are specific papers to be published alongside this paper:

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EUROPE

USA

SOUTH EAST ASIA

SWITZERLAND

BRAZIL

AUSTRALIA

PORTUGAL

INDIA

ITALY

UK

AUSTRIA

LATIN AMERICA AND THE CARIBBEAN

AFRICA

CHINA

GREECE

The International Forum on Pumped Storage Hydropower's Working Group on Capabilities, Costs and Innovation has released a new paper, 'Pumped Storage Hydropower Capabilities and Costs'

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The paper provides more information and recommendations on the financial side of Pumped Storage Hydropower and its capabilities, to ensure it can play its necessary role in the clean energy transition.

Download the Guidance note for de-risking pumped storage investments

Read more about the Forum's latest outcomes

The International Forum on Pumped Storage Hydropower's Sustainability Working Group released a working paper in 2021 exploring the sustainability of pumped storage hydropower.

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As pumped storage hydropower continues to grow and fulfil its necessary role in the clean energy transition, it is essential that sustainability is at the core of development.

Read more about the Forum's outcomes.

More than 500 GW of hydropower installations are in the pipeline worldwide, but this is far short of what is required to limit dangerous global warming.

This leaves a 300 GW gap in what is required from hydropower by 2050 to limit global warming to 2°C, and a gap of over 600 GW in what is required to limit warming to 1.5°C and achieve net zero emissions.

This is the conclusion of a major new report, ‘Hydropower 2050: Identifying the next 850+ GW towards 2050’, by researchers from the International Hydropower Association (IHA), published at the World Hydropower Congress.

Find the Congress programme here.

The report assesses pathways to net zero modelled by the International Energy Agency (IEA) and International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA), against current and future planned hydropower capacity.

Read the press release: Report identifies 300 GW gap in hydropower needed to limit global warming‍

The San José Declaration on Sustainable Hydropower identifies a new set of principles, commitments and recommendations to guide new development and enhance the sector’s contribution to the energy transition.  

This draft of the declaration is open for public feedback from the opening of the 2021 World Hydropower Congress on 7 September until 22 September. Its final version will be a landmark outcome at the end of the event on 24 September.

Read more about the San José Declaration on Sustainable Hydropower.

Download the San José Declaration on Sustainable Hydropower in your preferred language:

Chinese

Spanish

French

Portuguese

Russian

Read more about the San José Declaration on Sustainable Hydropower.

The San José Declaration on Sustainable Hydropower identifies a new set of principles, commitments and recommendations to guide new development and enhance the sector’s contribution to the energy transition.  

This consultation draft of the declaration has now been superseded by the final version, which was launched at the conclusion of the World Hydropower Congress on 24 September 2021 after an extensive public consultation. You can download the final declaration here.

The consultation draft is also available for download in the following languages:

• Chinese
• Spanish
• French
• Portuguese
• Russian

Read more about the San José Declaration on Sustainable Hydropower.

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The How-to Guide on Labour and Working Conditions will help hydropower developers, operators, contractors and sub-contractors manage labour and working conditions. The guide covers human resource policies, recruitment, occupational health and safety, non-discrimination and gender, workers’ accommodation, staff training and capacity building and grievance redressal mechanisms among other themes.

Find out more about the guide.