ALPINE CONVENTION - Platform „Water Management in the Alps“ Hydropower – Restoration of Good status / GEP Meeting EU Waterdirectors May 2010, Segovia K. Schwaiger1,3, S. Müller; M. Pfaundler1,2, P. Dazio2, R. Mair3 1 Presidency of the Alpine Convention’s Platform on Water Management in the Alps, 2 Swiss Federal Office for the Environment, 3 Austrian Federal Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry, Environment and Water Management 1 1

Challenges (S)Hydropower plants in place: - Often dating from decades ago - Poor performance in hydropower generation - Mostly without migration aids for fish - Do not meet modern requirements for residual water => Main challenge: to restore good status / GEP => Inspiring Good Practice examples in place in MS a) Legislative frame Switzerland b) Refurbishment of (S)HPplants Upper Austria

Rehabilitation of the Swiss hydropower Plants The situation Degree of efficiency: 33% 100% would be: using “the potential height” of each “raindrop which falls on the Swiss topography” until the frontier to the EU Car motors: < 30%! >90% of Swiss rivers are used for electricity prod. 60% of the used electricity is from hydropower

Plants with a power output > 10 MW

Withdrawal sites along rivers ……entailing residual water flow problems Hydropower

Hydropower and Environmental Challenges in CH Type I: River hydropower station fish migration Type II: (Pump) - Storage power station Residual water flow Hydropeaking

The recent and the new laws in general maintain high production volume maintain market orientiation - peak load energy production strenghten environmental friendly production:

The recent and the new laws in detail I Fish migration (law in place since 1991) focus today: modernisation and fish descent measures will be financed from 2011 Residual water flow (law in place since 1991) 1.step: increase rwf without causing infringements of existing using rights until 2012 2. step: by establishing new using rights: full rwf according to the concrete numbers in l/s given in the law.

The recent and the new laws in detail II Hydropeaking (put into force: Jan. 2011 1. only constructional and not operational measures (e.g. by setting in place reservoir downstream for retention of peak flows) 2. Financing of the measures: to 100% „Through an electricity consumer tax“: a charge on the Swiss high voltage network of 0.07 Euro/kWh (ca. 35 Million Euro/y) 3. Time frame: 20 years (700 Million Euro)

Refurbishment of Hydropower plants pro active approach of Upper Austria

Upper Austria : Initiative to refurbish Hydropower plants What is the Challenge? ~ 850 hydrowpower plants (HPP) in place ~ 130 run-of-river HPP ~ 720 diversion HPP 8 storage HPP Size classes of hydropower plants: - 28 bigger 10 MW ................. 11130 GWh/a - 39 0,5 to 10 MW ................. 420 GWh/a - ca. 790 under 0,5 MW ………. 150 GWh/a Remediate high fragmentation of rivers In many cases no residual water No migration aids for fish Increase HP production

Upper Austria : Initiative to refurbish Hydropower plants Challenge until 2015: ~ 850 km (out of 4900 km) rivers: status to be improved step by step by 2015, focus on restoration of river continuity and residual water Goals of first RBMP restoration of river continuity ~ 270 transverse structures ~ 100 hydropower plants Sufficient residual water to allow for migration of typical fish, to be enhanced further at later stage

Upper Austria : Initiative to refurbish Hydropower plants Approaches in place: Financial incentives for improving river continuity and river morphology (140 Mio Euro for first RBMP for entire Austria) 2.A Financial incentives for refurbishment of Hydropower Plants. Regional Initative with cornerstones: Free advice by consultant (sort of feasibility study, goal: > 15% increase of energy output, costs covered by regional government) Financial contribution (max. 25% of investment, max. 50.000 Eur) 2.B Prerequisite: Fish migration aid and residual water in place after refurbishment / modernisation of HPplant

Upper Austria : Initiative to refurbish Hydropower plants Small HydroPP in Upper Austria Green: HP refurbished Red:extent of refurbishment coming close to a reconstruction

Upper Austria : Initiative to refurbish Hydropower plants Results (since 2003): Advice provided for 560 hydropower plants (out of 760) 240 concrete projects 202 hydropower plants already modernised / refurbished 45 Mio euros investments Additional energy output: plus 40% (76 GWh/a; initial goal: > 15%) Migration aids for fish in place Minimum residual water in place => Win win situation for ecology and economy (energy, jobs – money remains nearly entirely in region) => High leverage effect of financial incentives

Thank you very much for your attention!