Hydropower and environmental considerations

Transcription

1 Hydropower and environmental considerations Balancing national hydropower policies with integrated river basin management planning Foto: Paal Staven Anders Iversen Senior adviser, Norwegian Directorate for Nature Management 13. June 2013

2 Governance and Sector Integration RES directive WFD National policy How to bridge the gap? RBD planning Production Ecology

3 Hydropower (HP) in Norway 130 TWh annually HP plants. >60 % of energy consumption is electricity. 99 % of electricity in Norway is from HP. Map: NVE: Existing hydropower plants.

4 TWh Norwegian HP in Europe Europes Top-10 HP HP production in TWh NO SE FR IT AT CH TR ES RO FI 25 % of Europe s HP production. >50 % of Europe s storage capacity. RES requires increase from 61 % to 67,5% (12 TWh) by El-certificate agreement with Sweden (24 TWh by 2020).

5 National HP pre-planning Protection plans Master plans Small scale master plans National Salmon rivers Protected Watercourses Source: NVE

6 Foto: Odd Terje Sandlund (NINA) Mitigation measures - hydropower Common examples: 1. Ecological continuum: Minimum environmental flow. Fish passes and ladders. 2. Habitat improvements to secure: Spawning and fry. Refugia at low water level. 3. Stocking and reintroduction of important fish species.

7 National system for HP licenses Technical terms (energy auth.): maneuvering of dams water flow requirements monitoring HyMo elements Nature terms (env. authorities): monitoring ecological elements fish ladders/passes habitat improvements stocking/reintroduction Foto: Jo Halvard Halleraker Revision cycles: 30 years (50 years before 1992)

8 WFD implementation from RBD, 5 IRBD

9 Significant pressures in Norway The 10 most important pressures on the water in Norway by WB count Hydropower Acid rain Agricultural runoff Runoff from scattered houses Invasive species Runoff from urban areas Pollution form sewage plants Polluted sediments Flood protection Aquaculture Source: Vann-Nett

10 Foto: Jo Halvard Halleraker Impacts of hydropower Impacts on: 15 of the 20 highest waterfalls 70 % of the river basins 17 % of river stretch, 30 % of lake area Environmental impact: Altered (or no) flow, variation in water level, lack of flushing Altered HyMo conditions and sediment transport Altered habitats for fish and insects, plants, birds Impact on landscape, recreation, tourism Source: NVE, DN, miljolare.no

11 The challenge How to balance National Hydropower Policy and RESimplementation with Integrated River Basin Management Planning and WFD-implementation?

12 Trying a way forward National screening of all existing Hydropower licenses. 339 licenses can be revised until New national guidelines for license revision. Agencies for Energy (NVE) and Nature (DN) perform a screening. Advice from agencies to the ministries expected in august 2013.

13 Før Objectives of screening Maximize environmental improvements, ecosystem services. Keep production loss at acceptable/moderate level. National policy guideline to inform WFD process (not binding). Signals ambition level and prioritized sites Number of licenses up for revision

14 Cost/benefit issues Environmental potential: Fish stock and fishing Biological diversity Landscape and recreation Production loss: Environmental flow Dam maneuvering restrictions River pearl mussel Bjørn M. Larsen, NINA Other issues: Potential for upgrade/refurbishment Changes in rainfall, climate change, flooding Storage capacity Geographical distribution between regions Wild atlantic salmon Steve Halsetrønning

15 Bridging the gap RES directive National policy SCREENING (2013): National policy guideline, not binding. Signals ambition level and prioritized sites. WFD RBD planning Production RBMPs & PoMs (2015): Regional/local perspective. Will guide and feed into revision processes. Ecology

16 Water is not a commercial product like any other but, rather, a heritage which must be protected, defended and treated as such. Foto: Anders Iversen WFD preamble (1)