Guidelines for balancing different water uses: navigation and environment, sustainable hydropower development

Transcription

1 2 nd UNECE Workshop River Basin Commissions and other Joint Bodies for Transboundary Water Cooperation: Technical Aspects, Geneva, 9-10 April 2014 Guidelines for balancing different water uses: navigation and environment, sustainable hydropower development Mr. Raimund MAIR ICPDR Technical Expert River Basin Management

2 Catchment Area: km 2 80 Mio. People 19 Countries Most international River Basin in the World

3 The Water Nexus: Diversity of uses, aspirations and impacts 3

4 Growing concern and motivation Major number of infrastructure projects under preparation/implementation How to ensure sustainable water protection and nondeterioration of Danube Basin water bodies & Nature Protection sites if infrastructure projects will be built? How to make a step from confrontation to reconciliation, cooperation or even win-win solutions? Can we guide infrastructure development that it won t conflict with legal requirements for environmental protection but ensure their achievement? 4

5 First response 2007: Cross-sector dialogue inland navigation & environment Broad stakeholder process 12 Basin Governments 22 industry and environmental interest groups 3 River Commissions Zinke 3 Workshops Result: New commitment Joint Statement (2007) 5

6 Joint Statement Inland Navigation & Environment 2007 Key principles Integrated planning process from the beginning Minimize the impacts of engineering interventions Apply EIAs with public input Respect WFD s River Basin Management Plans Define goals for Navigation and the river/floodplain ecological integrity Use Best Practice to achieve the required objective 6

7 Inland Navigation & Environment Follow-up activities 2010 PLATINA Manual further specifying integrated planning approach Good practices in sustainable waterway planning Yearly joint follow-up meetings between navigation and environmental sector - Alternately organised by 3 River Commissions - Exchange of experiences with practical application of principles - Facilitates implementation process - Keeping actors involved and dedicated 7

8 Legal framework Sustainable Hydropower RES-e European Renewable Energy Directive 2009/28/EC Objectives: to increase share of energy from renewable sources with target figures for 2020 for each state WFD EU Water Framework Directive 2000/60/EC Objectives: good ecological status of water bodies No deterioration of status States set national targets + decide on strategy; e.g. by targets for HP + other related legislation, i.e. Natura 2000, EU Floods Directive, EU Directive on Energy Efficiency, National legislation, etc. 8

9 Benefits and impacts of hydropower Renewable energy generation Balancing supply and demand VERBUND E.ON Wasserkraft GmbH / Author R. Sturm ÖKF Altered flow regime and sediment dynamics Ecological impacts 9

10 Sustainable Hydropower in the Danube Basin Political mandate to develop Guiding Principles on Sustainable Hydropower Develoment in the Danube Basin Two years process : 4 Meetings, 2 Workshops Broad participative process - administrations from energy and environment, sector representatives, NGOs, scientific community, other relevant institutions Guiding Principles, Background Report, Good Practice Examples Adopted in June

11 Guiding Principles Sustainable Hydropower Main elements Application of Guiding Principles - Range of benefits: Energy sector: Streamlined authorisation processes, improvement of predictability and upfront information where authorisation is likely Environmental sector: Transparency, involvement in decision making process, protection of sensitive river stretches Authorities: Increase of security for legal compliance, balanced approached with involvement of relevant actors at an early stage, accelerated implementation of legislation 11

12 Other important issues... Sustainable Flood Risk Management Sustainable Agriculture

13 Conclusions Inter-sectoral cooperation helps to Create a better common understanding on (legal) requirements and constraints different actors are confronted with Establish possibilities for formal but also informal exchange Integrate potentially conflicting objectives for different sectors from the beginning Accelerate implementation of projects and/or legislative requirements and to ensure legal compliance Achieve better and more sustainable solutions and therefore benefits for different sectors involved But requires Resources Meetings, coordination, (establishement of) platform for exchange Political support Willingness and dedication of actors involved

14 Thank you for your kind attention! Documents are publicly available for download on the ICPDR website: ICPDR Secretariat / Vienna International Centre, D0412 / P.O. Box 500 / 1400 Vienna / Austria Phone / Fax / icpdr@unvienna.org /