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| Formation | 1995 |
|---|---|
| Type | Non-Profit International Mutual Association of Members |
| Headquarters | London |
| Location |
|
President | Malcolm Turnbull |
Key people | Eddie Rich, Chief Executive Officer |
| Website | www.hydropower.org |
TheInternational Hydropower Association (IHA) is an international lobby group and membership association representing the globalhydropower sector.[1]
IHA has members in more than 120 countries, including over 100 corporate and affiliate members working across sectors such aselectricity generation,water management,construction,engineering and related industries. IHA also partners with international organizations, research institutions, governments and civil society. The association's mission is "to advance sustainable hydropower by building and sharing knowledge on its role inrenewable energy systems, freshwater management andclimate change solutions."[2]
The International Hydropower Association (IHA) was formed under the auspices ofUNESCO in 1995 as a forum to promote and disseminate good practices and further knowledge abouthydropower. IHA employed its first full-time member of staff in 2001. It now consists of five departments, a central office (London), a regional office (South America) and a national office (China).[3]
Following the publication of theWorld Commission on Dams final report in 2000, IHA participated in theUnited Nations Environmental Programme’s Dams and Development Project.[3]
In 2004, IHA became a founding member of theInternational Renewable Energy Alliance (REN Alliance) along with partner organisations representing thebioenergy,geothermal,solar andwind industries. The REN Alliance was established to advance the role ofrenewable energy systems.[3]
IHA published its first sustainability guidelines for hydropower projects in 2004, followed by the IHA Sustainability Protocol in 2006. This work formed the basis for the Hydropower Sustainability Assessment Forum, a multi-stakeholder body consisting of representatives from government, commercial and development banks, social and environmental NGOs, and the hydropower sector.[3]
Initiated in partnership with theWorld Wildlife Fund (WWF) andThe Nature Conservancy (TNC), the forum was convened over three years to develop a new tool to measure and guide sustainability performance in the hydropower sector: theHydropower Sustainability Assessment Protocol.[3]
IHA has managed the roll-out and implementation of the protocol since its launch in 2011, and works in partnership with 15 leading companies around the world to promote a better understanding of how this tool can be used in different local and regional contexts.[3]
In 2007, IHA hosted its first world congress in Turkey.[3]
The World Hydropower Congress is now a biennial event. It has been held inTurkey (2007)Iceland (2009),Brazil (2011),Malaysia (2013),China (2015),Ethiopia (2017),France (2019),Costa Rica (2021), andIndonesia (2023).[3]
IHA aims to advance sustainablehydropower’s role in meeting the world's water and energy needs. The association has the following strategic objectives:
IHA organizes the biennial World Hydropower Congress, regarded as the key reference for decision-makers and authorities in the hydropower sector.[by whom?] The first congress was held inAntalya,Turkey in 2007. The event has since been held inReykjavík,Iceland (2009),Iguassu,Brazil (2011),Kuching,Sarawak,Malaysia (2013),Beijing,China (2015),Addis Ababa,Ethiopia (2017),Paris,France (2019), San Jose, Costa Rica (2021), and Indonesia (2023).[3]
IHA is governed by a board that comprises an international group of experts, bringing together experience and different international perspectives of hydropower. IHA Board members are elected by IHA's membership.[4]
The IHA Board is currently led by President Mr Roger Gill, six Vice Presidents (fromAustralia,Brazil, Canada,China,Germany andMalaysia), a further twelve board members (from Australia,Austria,Brazil,France,Norway,India,Iceland,Russia andSouth Africa), and the chief executive officer (a non-voting board member position), Eddie Rich.[5]
The Board aims for a balanced geographic distribution of representation in its composition and conducts its affairs, including two-yearly elections, according to a formal written constitution and by-laws.[4]
The Board is supported by a Central Office, the administrative arm of the IHA.[6] There are also a number of committees and groups working on strategic and topical issues formed in accordance with Board resolutions.
IHA's central office is situated inGreater London,United Kingdom. IHA also has regional offices in China and Brazil.[6]
IHA acts as a voice forhydropower in international governmental and sector water, energy, and climate change forums and in the media. The organization is drawn on as a source for statistics onhydropower for authoritative world energy and renewable energy publications such as theREN21 Global Status Reports[7] andIIASA Global Energy Assessment (GEA).[8] IHA maintains a database of the world's hydropower stations and companies, built in collaboration with regulators, ministries, electricity associations, utilities, and station owners and operators.
IHA has consultative and/or observer status with all United Nations agencies addressing water, energy and climate change[9] and cooperates and collaborates with international organizations with interests in renewable energy such asIEA,WEC, and theWorld Bank. It is an active participant in theInternational Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA), founded in Bonn, Germany, on 26 January 2009.
IHA is a founding member ofInternational Renewable Energy Alliance (REN Alliance), which was formed on 4 June 2004, inBonn,Germany, by theInternational Geothermal Association (IGA), theInternational Solar Energy Society (ISES), and theWorld Wind Energy Association (WWEA).[10] TheWorld Bioenergy Association (WBA) subsequently joined theREN Alliance in June 2009.
TheHydropower Sustainability Assessment Protocol,[11] is a comprehensive tool to assess thesustainability ofhydropower projects.
It was launched in June 2011 at the International Hydropower Association (IHA) World Congress.
It provides a thorough, evidence-based assessment of between 19 and 23 relevant sustainability topics, depending on the development stage of the project.
The Protocol is the product of a rigorous multi-stakeholder development process between 2008 and 2010, involving representatives from social and environmental NGOs (Oxfam,Nature Conservancy,Transparency International,WWF); governments (China,Germany,Iceland,Norway,Zambia); commercial and development banks (including banks that are signatory to theEquator Principles, and theWorld Bank); and the hydropower sector, represented by IHA.
The Protocol development process included field trials in 16 countries, across six continents, and stakeholder engagement with 1,933 individuals in 28 countries.
The topics cover the three pillars ofsustainability: social, economic, and environmental, and include issues such as downstream flow regimes,indigenous peoples,biodiversity, infrastructure safety, resettlement, water quality, anderosion andsedimentation.
The assessment tools are used as a framework to produce a sustainability profile for a hydropower project. In so doing, multiple stakeholders can become better informed on the sustainability profile of a project, and develop strategies to address any weaknesses.
The Protocol can be used during all stages of hydropower project development: early stage, preparation, implementation and operation. This new approach to promote continuous improvement in hydropower sustainability has been designed so that the sustainability of hydropower projects can be assessed anywhere in the world, covering a broad range of possible case scenarios.
TheUNESCO / IHA GHG Status of Freshwater Reservoirs Research Project[12] is hosted by IHA, in collaboration with theInternational Hydrological Programme (IHP) ofUNESCO.
The Project is a global initiative to improve understanding of the impact of reservoirs on naturalgreenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in a river basin. To date, the Project has involved some 160 researchers, scientists and professionals, from more than 100 institutions. The overall objective of the project is the evaluation of changes in GHG emissions due to the impoundment of freshwater reservoirs. The project deliverables include:
A key milestone in the project was the publication, in 2010, of theGHG Measurement Guidelines for Freshwater Reservoirs,[13] a comprehensive tool to assess the GHG status of freshwater reservoirs, describing standardized procedures for field measurements and calculation methods to estimate the impact of the creation of a reservoir on a river basin's overall GHG emissions. The application of these Guidelines to a set of representative reservoirs worldwide allows the building of a reliable, standardized results database, in order to develop the basis for predictive modelling capability.
Since then, IHA has been involved through this project in the development of a risk screening tool, theGHG Reservoir Screening Tool, that will allow for rapid and low-cost assessment of likely GHG emissions from reservoirs. This will allow developers and operators to assess whether a reservoir is likely to generate emissions, and therefore require further and more detailed examination and modelling.[14]
A revised version of the tool,G-Res, will allocate emissions to the particular services provided by the reservoir. A prototype of the revised tool was launched at the World Hydropower Congress in Beijing, in May 2015.[14][15]
The tool is intended to inform decision makers if there is likely to be any significant GHG footprint associated with the purposes for which the reservoir is being developed. The tool will be applicable to both existing and planned reservoirs. If the tool identifies a reservoir that is likely to cause a significant impact, the recommended action will include the possibility of detailed modelling.[14]
The GHG Screening Tool provides an estimate of the likely level of total (gross) GHG emissions from a freshwater reservoir. It has been developed as an empirical model, making use of existing published data on gross GHG emissions from previous assessments of 169 reservoirs around the world. The tool output provides an indication of the need for further assessment of GHG emissions.[14]
Launched in 2015, the Mosonyi Award for Excellence in Hydropower recognizes individuals within IHA's membership for outstanding contributions to the sector. Individual contributions related to the award may include:
Proposed candidates are reviewed by a panel convened by the IHA Board. The panel nominates selected candidates, with the IHA Board making the final decision on the selection of recipients. Up to three individuals received an award in 2015.[16]
The award is named after Professor Emil Mosonyi,[17] the founding president of IHA. Mosonyi, who died in 2009 aged 98, made major contributions during his long career in hydropower. A special award was presented by the IHA Board to Prof. Dr. Emil Mosonyi, IHA Founder and Honorary President, on 20 October 2004 at the closing ceremony of Hydro 2004 inPorto,Portugal.[18]
Recipients of this award are:
In collaboration withUNESCO, IHA previously awarded theIHA Blue Planet Prize every two years.[22] The prize recognizes outstanding performance in sustainable management of hydropower schemes. Previous recipients of the award include:
The IHA Blue Planet Prize was not awarded during the development phase of the Hydropower Sustainability Assessment Protocol. It was officially relaunched during the 2015 World Hydropower Congress in Beijing, and was awarded in 2017.[23]
In 2013, IHA held their World Hydropower Congress inSarawak, Malaysia. The choice of location was criticized for appearing to legitimize local government plans to build dams that would displace tens of thousands of people. IHA President Richard Taylor responded by emphasizing that the congress would be "international in nature" and would represent "alternative viewpoints".[1]
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