UNIFYING THE VOICES OF HYDROPOWER
ETIP HYDROPOWER members participate in 28th ICOLD Congress and 93rd Annual Meeting in Chengdu, China
ETIP HYDROPOWER members took part in the 28th Congress and 93rd Annual Meeting of the International Commission on Large Dams (ICOLD), held in Chengdu, China. The event brought together experts, policymakers, and institutional stakeholders from across the globe to discuss the role of dams and hydropower in addressing key global challenges, including energy transition and climate change adaptation.
Denis Aelbrecht, Chair of the ETIP HYDROPOWER Governing Board; Sera Lazaridou, Member of the Governing Board; and Anton Schleiss, Secretariat and Scientific Coordinator, participated to the ICOLD General Assembly as Chairman of French National Committee, Chair of EURCOLD and Chair of ICOLD Technical Committee as well as Honorary ICOLD President to the 28th ICOLD Congress and 93the Annual Meeting in Chengdu, China.
A significant outcome of the Congress was the endorsement of the World Declaration on “Dams and Reservoirs for Energy Transition and Adaptation to Climate Change.” The declaration was jointly signed by several leading international organizations, including ICOLD, the International Hydropower Association (IHA), IEA HYDRO, the International Commission on Irrigation and Drainage (ICID-CIID), the World Water Council, and IME.
As part of the official programme, Anton Schleiss presented an overview of the recent progress and achievements of ETIP HYDROPOWER during the meetings of the EURCOLD Board and the ICOLD General Assembly.
ETIP HYDROPOWER’s active participation at this high-level event underscores its ongoing commitment to unifying the hydropower sector and fostering the Research and Innovation Agenda.
Read the full World Declaration here
WEBINAR RECAP: Boosting Hydropower V: Best Practices for ResearchOn 14 May 2025, the latest session in the “Boosting Hydropower” webinar series, organised by the ETIP HYDROPOWER project, highlighted the achievements of three EU-funded hydropower initiatives: HYDRO4U, ALPHEUS, and HYPOS. The session brought together leading researchers and experts to present innovative solutions aimed at improving the sustainability, efficiency, and accessibility of hydropower technologies, with a particular focus on small-scale systems, coastal energy storage, and data-driven decision-making. HYDRO4U: Sustainable Small Hydropower for Central AsiaPresented by Bertalan Alapfy (Technical University of Munich, Germany) and Dr. Daniel Hayes (BOKU University, Austria), HYDRO4U is a Horizon 2020 project focused on developing and implementing sustainable small-scale hydropower solutions tailored to Central Asia. Over five years, a consortium of 13 partners from the EU and Central Asia is working to address regional challenges in hydropower through technological, ecological, and socio-economic innovation. The project targets the development of two modular hydropower technologies for low and medium head applications, incorporating sustainable planning and assessment tools. Activities also include energy potential evaluations and feasibility studies within the broader context of the Water-Energy-Food-Climate (WEFC) Nexus. These efforts aim to enable wide replication of the developed solutions across similar geographic and economic settings. ALPHEUS: Unlocking Pumped Hydro Storage in Coastal AreasMiroslav Marence of IHE Delft introduced the ALPHEUS project, which seeks to make pumped hydro storage viable in shallow seas and flat coastal regions by improving reversible pump/turbine (RPT) technology and associated civil infrastructure. ALPHEUS aims to support low-head hydropower applications (2 to 20 meters), enabling quick switching between pumping and turbining operations to deliver grid flexibility with round-trip efficiencies exceeding 70%. The project combined computational modelling and laboratory-scale testing to develop efficient and environmentally sustainable RPT designs. These innovations could open new frontiers for energy storage in coastal environments, which are currently underutilized due to their topographical constraints. HYPOS: A Decision Support Tool for Smarter Hydropower PlanningKarin Schenk of EOMAP presented HYPOS, which developed an advanced Decision Support Tool—the HYdro POwer Suite—providing continuous, satellite-based and modeled hydrological data for the hydropower industry. The platform allows users to access global, real-time water quality data, discharge estimates, sediment management insights, and more, reducing project risks and improving operational planning. HYPOS has demonstrated its capabilities through applications in hydropower projects in Georgia, Switzerland, and Africa. Recent tool enhancements include snow-related data integration and new satellite-based products for discharge and water storage monitoring, supporting more robust and informed reservoir management. The webinar also featured key contributions from Anton Schleiss (International Commission on Large Dams - ICOLD), who presented the role and mission of ETIP HYDROPOWER (ACCESS THE PRESENTATION HERE), and Emanuele Quaranta (European Commission Joint Research Centre), who outlined recent EU policy and research developments relevant to hydropower. These include the Water Resilience Strategy, focusing on environmental sustainability, and the Net Zero Industry Act, supporting manufacturing efforts toward climate-neutral objectives (ACCESS THE PRESENTATION HERE). The webinar series remains a valuable platform for knowledge exchange and collaboration, supporting hydropower’s contribution to achieving the EU’s clean energy objectives. You can rewatch it on our Youtube channel or via the miniature below:
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