Brussels (The Hawk): WWF EPO, the European Anglers Alliance, the European Environmental Bureau, the European Rivers Network and Wetlands international have published a new briefing paper asking policy-makers in the European Parliament and Council to amend the Commission’s ‘REPowerEU’ proposal to exclude new or revamped hydropower projects from any ‘go-to areas’.
The Living Planet Report 2022 released earlier this month reminded us that freshwater species populations have seen the greatest overall global decline (83%) among all species groups. What’s more, monitored freshwater migratory fish populations have declined by 76% between 1970 and 2016 globally, but 93% in Europe, making our continent the most affected.
The LPR also tells us that habitat loss and barriers to migration routes are responsible for about half of the threats to these migratory freshwater species, therefore sending a clear signal that further construction of barriers including hydropower dams is not desirable. Tomorrow, 25th October, the European Parliament Committee on the Environment, Public Health and Food Safety (ENVI) will vote on the REPower-EU proposal which aims to accelerate Europe’s clean energy transition and increase energy independence. The plan, which includes setting the new EU renewable target and designating ‘go-to areas’ for renewable energy deployment has already had a calling effect for new hydropower projects, as described in the briefing paper.
But allowing new hydropower development in go-to areas could mean that those plants would be exempted from the obligation to go through an environmental impact assessment, and benefit from silent approval procedures.
While a rapid expansion of solar and wind energy is needed to decarbonise our energy mix and mitigate the effects of climate change, the same is not true for hydropower. 8,507 new hydropower plants were still planned in Europe in 2019, out of which 60% have a negligible energy production capacity. Many of the hydropower plants planned or built in the past 15 years have been legally challenged both at national and EU level, as well as induced constant public protests in several parts of Europe. Hydroelectricity production will become more unreliable due to climate change effects. Last but not least, 60% of EU rivers, lakes and wetlands are not healthy, and Europe has the most fragmented river landscape on the planet.