Fish Passage and Hydropower: Comparison of Hydropower Sustainability Assessment Results

Today, approximately 9000 large hydropower dams exist worldwide, and hydropower capacity is projected to double by 2050.  Working together with other stakeholders, the global hydropower industry has developed guidance for good and best practices, and a protocol for assessing project performance.  The Hydropower Sustainability Assessment Council oversees application of this protocol and the first assessment reports, conducted by independent accredited assessors, are now being published.  The protocol includes assessment of fish passage facilities, which have been installed at some projects, as factors that may enhance biodiversity and livelihood.  They enable the transfer of nutrients and organisms upstream and downstream and increase available habitat.  This research describes how good and best practices have been defined in this multi-stakeholder process, and evaluates assessment results for fish passage facilities from the first eight assessments conducted at Jirau in Brazil, Keeyask in Canada, Romanche-Gavet in France, Walchensee in Germany, Jostedal in Norway, Blanda and Hvammur in Iceland, and Trevallyn in Australia.