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Ten European energy giants establish Hydropower Alliance – They have a combined capacity of 111 GW
11:59 - 05/07/2023

The energy crisis has turned the attention of investors to hydropower plants. Despite the ongoing drought in Europe and strong public opposition to such projects, especially small hydroelectric units, the newly created Hydropower Alliance is seeking guarantees for companies in this segment.

European Commissioner for Energy Kadri Simson met with his representatives in Brussels. She said the Hydropower Alliance brought together the biggest players and that they have a combined capacity of 111 GW. Hydropower is an essential source of renewable electricity for the European Union, according to Simson.

The founding members claim that hydropower is the essential pillar of the energy transition

Enel, EDP, EDF, Engie, Iberdrola, Fortum, Statkraft, Uniper, Vattenfall and the Verbund said hydropower is an essential pillar of the energy transition, adding that investments are needed to achieve climate neutrality by 2050, ANSA reported. Their technology provides "affordable, dispatchable and secure renewable electricity," the platform says.

Hydropower facilitates the integration of large amounts of renewable energy from intermittent sources into the system, offering flexibility including storage, the article adds. Enterprises highlighted the role of repowering existing facilities and installing more of them for EU purposes.

The alliance demands that the hydropower plant be declared a strategic technology

The Hydropower Alliance asked the executive body of the 27-member bloc to "create an appropriate, reliable and stable economic, political and legal framework for investments". He noted the need for a strategy like those for other types of renewable resources and said that hydropower plants should be included in the list of strategic technologies.

Until now, the EU's approach was mainly to renovate and upgrade existing plants. Locals and environmentalists, usually hostile to new projects as harmful, argue that there is little untapped potential, at least in terms of sustainability. Furthermore, after last year's extreme drought across the continent, hydropower reservoirs are running dry again. It raises the question of the feasibility of the proposed investments.

The association of French hydropower operators, FHE, claims that the country's production in the sector could increase by a fifth and that it is equal to all the coal and gas imports of last winter.

The role of pumped storage is particularly important. Such systems can store excess energy from wind and solar power plants when demand drops, and send it to the grid when there is a deficit, for example with unforeseen and adverse weather changes. It is the only conventional energy storage technology at the moment as batteries are expensive and in short supply.

Resistance to hydropower projects is also strong in the Western Balkans, which are not part of the EU, and elsewhere in southeastern Europe. In March, Albania declared the Vjosa, one of the last wild rivers on the continent, a national park with the highest level of protection. The decision followed a decade-long fight against the proposed dams.

N.Xh / SCAN

https://scantv.al/dhjete-gjigante-evropiane-te-energjise-themelojne-aleancen-hidroenergjetike-kane-nje-kapacitet-te-kombinuar-prej-111-gw/