Month: <span>September 2021</span>

Turks Retreat From the Namakhvani Battlefield?!

For many months peoples’ movements of Georgia assisted by highly efficient Georgian NGOs have been fighting a serious battle against a new megadam project conceived by Georgian Government, Norwegian Clean Energy Group and Turkish ENKA. The last important reinforcement came from scientists and conservation officials who helped to list sturgeons …

Hydropower Policy BRIef: Part V. WELCOME THE PUMPED STORAGE…(and CONCLUSION)

(Full Contents of Hydropower Policy BRIef here) As for the pumped storage hydro (PSH), much hyped as a remedy for grid stability and flexibility, which also usually has less destructive footprint, only 1633 MW were put in operation in 2020, despite all hopes trumpeted by hydropower industry and personally by …

Hydropower Policy BRIef: Part IV. “PARADE OF THE CHAMPIONS”

(Full Contents of Hydropower Policy BRIef here) 2020 HYDROPOWER EXPANSION IN SELECTED COUNTRIES Eurasia            CHINA Almost two thirds of globally installed hydropower (12.5GW) was added in China, where hydropower capacity reached 370 GW, wind power – 280 GW and photovoltaic – 250 GW. In 2020 most of increase accounts …

International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) Forces the Hydropower Industry to Build New Dams in Protected Areas?!!!

International Hydropower Association Reveals “Good Practice” Guide for (Damming) Protected Areas It looks like the hydropower industry is getting on nerves of the big international NGOs (BINGOs) who have “cooperated” with the IHA for a decade in common search for “sustainable hydropower”. And there was a good reason for that …

Hydropower Policy BRIef: Part III. PERSISTENT PROBLEMS IN HYDROPOWER DEVELOPMENT IN THE CHAMPION COUNTRIES

(Full Contents of Hydropower Policy BRIef here) Unfortunately, modest development of greenfield hydropower in 2020 again came at the cost of destruction of irreplaceable natural areas and suffering of local communities in countries where those dams have been built. It also often exacerbated transboundary tensions, fuelled corruption and economic crisis. …

DECLARATION FOR RIVERS AND CLIMATE

[Note: Additional organizational endorsements are accepted at https://bit.ly/3hRUsGL] September 21, 2021 To: -Alok Sharma, the 2021 President of the UNFCCC Conference of the Parties -Parties to the UNFCCC Conference of the Parties (COP-26) A Declaration: Climate mitigation efforts must reject so-called “sustainable hydropower” as a solution to combat climate change …