Difference between revisions of "Hydropower Sustainability Assessment Protocol (HSAP)"

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The Hydropower Sustainability Assessment Forum HSAF, a multi-stakeholder body with representatives from social and environmental NGOs (Oxfam, The Nature Conservancy, Transparency International, WWF), governments (China, Germany, Iceland, Norway, Zambia), commercial and development banks (Equator Principles Financial Institutions Group, The World Bank) and the hydropower sector represented by the IHA has been initiated by the International Hydropower Association (IHA) in cooperation with the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) and The Nature Conservancy (TNC) in March 2008.  
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'''The Hydropower Sustainability Assessment Protocol is an enhanced sustainability assessment tool which is being used to measure and guide performance in the hydropower sector.<br>'''
  
In a period of 2 ½ years the HSAF developed the Hydropower Sustainalility Assessment protocol (HSAP).&nbsp;In June 2011 the Protocol was officially launched in Brazil and is now governed by a multi-stakeholder council, comprising a governance committee and a management entity, the latter residing within IHA.<br>The protocol serves as an enhanced sustainability assessment tool to measure and guide performance in the hydropower sector. It allows the assessment of projects at four stages (early stage, preparation, implementation and operation). Projects are assessed across a range of aspects with scores from 1 to 5. The protocol&nbsp;not&nbsp;a standard but rather a voluntary scorecard by which the hydropower industry can assess the social and environmental performance of its projects. The assessment of projects with the protocol can only be carried out with a license from IHA.
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The Protocol can be used at any stage of hydropower development, from the very earliest planning stages, right through to operation. It has also been designed to work on projects and facilities anywhere in the world. To assess the sustainability of hydropower projects at all stages of development, the Protocol comprises five documents – a Background document and four assessment tools for the different stages of the project life cycle.
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Assessments rely on objective evidence to create a sustainability profile against some 20 topics depending on the relevant stage, and covering all aspects of sustainability.The Protocol topics cover the three pillars of sustainability: social, economic, and environmental, and include issues such as downstream flow regimes, indigenous peoples, biodiversity, infrastructure safety, resettlement, water quality, and erosion and sedimentation.
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The assessment tools are used as '''a framework to produce a sustainability profile '''for a hydropower project. In so doing, multiple stakeholders can become better informed on the sustainability profile of a project, and develop strategies to address any weaknesses.
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The Protocol is the result of intensive work from 2008 to 2010 by the Hydropower Sustainability Assessment Forum, a multi-stakeholder body with representatives from social and environmental NGOs (Oxfam, The Nature Conservancy, Transparency International, WWF); governments (China, Germany [as an observer], Iceland, Norway, Zambia); commercial and development banks (Equator Principles Financial Institutions Group, The World Bank [as an observer]); and the hydropower sector, represented by IHA. The development process of the Protocol involved field trials in 16 countries, across 6 continents, and stakeholder engagement with nearly 2,000 people in 28 countries.
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The Protocol was officially launched in Brazil in June 2011 and is governed by a multi-stakeholder council, comprising a governance committee and a management entity, the latter residing within IHA.
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All key documents relating to the Hydropower Sustainability Assessment Protocol can be downloaded here: [http://www.hydrosustainability.org/Document-Library.aspx http://www.hydrosustainability.org/Document-Library.aspx] &nbsp;  
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Revision as of 09:57, 27 March 2012

Website: http://www.hydrosustainability.org/

 

The Hydropower Sustainability Assessment Protocol is an enhanced sustainability assessment tool which is being used to measure and guide performance in the hydropower sector.

The Protocol can be used at any stage of hydropower development, from the very earliest planning stages, right through to operation. It has also been designed to work on projects and facilities anywhere in the world. To assess the sustainability of hydropower projects at all stages of development, the Protocol comprises five documents – a Background document and four assessment tools for the different stages of the project life cycle.

Assessments rely on objective evidence to create a sustainability profile against some 20 topics depending on the relevant stage, and covering all aspects of sustainability.The Protocol topics cover the three pillars of sustainability: social, economic, and environmental, and include issues such as downstream flow regimes, indigenous peoples, biodiversity, infrastructure safety, resettlement, water quality, and erosion and sedimentation.

The assessment tools are used as a framework to produce a sustainability profile for a hydropower project. In so doing, multiple stakeholders can become better informed on the sustainability profile of a project, and develop strategies to address any weaknesses.

The Protocol is the result of intensive work from 2008 to 2010 by the Hydropower Sustainability Assessment Forum, a multi-stakeholder body with representatives from social and environmental NGOs (Oxfam, The Nature Conservancy, Transparency International, WWF); governments (China, Germany [as an observer], Iceland, Norway, Zambia); commercial and development banks (Equator Principles Financial Institutions Group, The World Bank [as an observer]); and the hydropower sector, represented by IHA. The development process of the Protocol involved field trials in 16 countries, across 6 continents, and stakeholder engagement with nearly 2,000 people in 28 countries.

The Protocol was officially launched in Brazil in June 2011 and is governed by a multi-stakeholder council, comprising a governance committee and a management entity, the latter residing within IHA.

 

All key documents relating to the Hydropower Sustainability Assessment Protocol can be downloaded here: http://www.hydrosustainability.org/Document-Library.aspx