Posted on August, 26 2015

An ongoing campaign is fighting the construction of 42 hydropower plants on the Hron River in Slovakia. The Hron is the second longest river in Slovakia and a left tributary of the Danube.

The campaign is organised by the local NGOs Slatinka and Rieka and the Slovak Fishing Association. It is part of a long-term initiative of scientists and NGOs to revise national water strategy documents, a process in which WWF in Slovakia actively participates.

There are currently a number of existing hydropower plants on the Hron. If the new plans are approved, there would be a hydropower plant every 5-7 km of the river. The map to the right shows the existing plants in red, the ones under construction in yellow, and the planned ones in black. 

Although hydropower is generally considered green energy, the lack of good control over its construction and operation can lead to extremely negative impacts on nature like rivers drying up or fish stocks depleting.
Slovakia has so far not stipulated hydropower “no-go” areas to protect valuable habitats. Consequently, hydropower is often planned in protected areas and in areas used for soft water tourism, or close to nature tourism -- mainly canoeing. The impact on river ecosystems, local businesses and communities is not sufficiently assessed and acknowledged.

Apart from these threats to nature, a number of small businesses connected with water tourism around the Hron will also likely suffer negative impacts from the planned construction. In fact, the existing and planned plants bring few benefits: they do not create new jobs because they are automated. Moreover, since most existing plants are fenced off, they greatly limit the access of local people and animals to water.