The International Hydropower Association (IHA) has called on governments to speed up the development of new hydropower capacity or risk missing global net zero targets.
The call was made in the latest report from the IHA, the 2022 Hydropower Status Report.
The report noted that even though 26GW of new capacity was put into operation during 2021, the figure falls short of the 45GW that the International Energy Agency (IEA) says is required to meet net zero goals by 2050.
Furthermore, the report highlights that while the technology and skills are ready to be deployed, the political will to make it happen is lacking.
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Erik Solheim, former executive director of the UN Environment Programme, stated in response to the report: “This can’t wait – governments need to heed this call to action, or we all face an uncertain and unstable energy future.”
IHA chief executive Eddie Rich refers to the report as a “stark wake-up call to governments around the world” that are simply making insufficient progress.
Said Rich, “We can supercharge the progress firstly by accelerating the development of pumped storage hydropower around the world. Secondly, we need to look towards the immense untapped hydropower potential that exists in many regions of the world, particularly Asia and Africa. Finally, we need to make the most of our existing hydropower fleet by modernising it, as well as integrating hydropower facilities into non-power water infrastructure wherever suitable.”
According to the IHA, hydropower provides the flexibility and reliability needed to support the growth of other renewables sources, providing energy security without the need for fossil fuels.
The report recommends certifying developments against the Hydropower Sustainability Standard, a sustainability certification scheme launched in September 2021, to ensure projects are delivered responsibly with maximum benefits to society and the environment.
Key report findings
- Hydropower generated around 4,250TWh of clean electricity worldwide in 2021, down from the record of 4,370TWh in 2020. Lower than average rainfall in many regions contributed to this downturn in generation.
- In 2021, pumped storage hydropower totalled 4.7GW of the new additions in capacity, up on the 1.5GW added in 2020. Most of this was in China (4.5GW), including 600MW of capacity at the Fengning pumped storage facility, which will be the largest in the world at 3,600MW once it is complete in 2023.
- Only China is keeping pace with net Zero pathway for hydropower. China is the world leader for installed hydropower capacity with more than 390GW – more than three times the next largest country, Brazil.
