Existing Solutions

Twinning, exchange of good practices, economic analysis, WFD implementation, harmonization of indicators of water management

technical

- Legal – Policy

A solution could be to take advantage of the renewal of concessions in order to group together infrastructures of a given basin according to a logic of continuity of the hydropower chain, and to allocate their concessions to a single hydropower producer. This will allow a better, more coherent management of hydropower, both, in environmental and energy terms.
The example has been set by the French Ministry of Environment, which announced in 22 april, 2010 that renewal of concessions will be made according to this new logic.

France.

The solution is currently developed by the French Ministry of environment. An announcement has been made by this Ministry in 22 april 2010 in order to set the new rules of concessions renewal. All the energy producer/provider willing to compete for the concessions are concerned. Their effective management of hydropower chain will be strategic in the implementation of the solution. The Ministry will ensure the follow-up. If the solution was to be adopted in other countries of the Europe region preparatory process, the same array of actors should be associated.

In France, the renewal of the concessions following an hydropower chain logic will be gradually achieved gradually, basin by basin, by 2015. Voluntary countries willing to adopt the same solution could choose the same deadline (7th World Water Forum). If this one was to be proven unrealistic, the 8th World Water Forum could be chosen as another relevant deadline.

Leaving to different concessionaries the management of a single hydropower chain is ineffective, both environmentally and energetically speaking. Thus, identifying hydropower chain to be managed by a single institution seems to be a good step towards a better coordination of water and sustainable energy policies.

The renewal of concessions according to the hydropower chain logic will allow a better, more coherent management of hydropower, both, in environmental and energy terms.

At the 6th World Water Forum: How many countries have decided to adopt a similar logic in the concessions renewal? By 2015 and the next World Water Forum: How is the logic adopted, implemented, followed-up?

Member States of the European Union facing the challenges of optimizing hydropower generation and management should be interested, and beyong should be all the countries of the Europe region preparatory process confronting the same issue.

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French Ministry of environment