Posted on January, 11 2017

Bucharest/Kiev/Sofia - The protection of freshwater ecosystems is a key environmental challenge. With regard to hydropower, WWF is active throughout river basins in the region to help ensure that energy requirements are met with options that also consider environmental and social impact.

Hydropower projects and government decisions in ecologically sensitive areas threaten to harm the habitats of rare and endangered species in the Danube-Carpathian region. Hydropower plant project in Romania endangers Defileul Jiului National Park – a protected Natura 2000 area, while in Ukraine and Bulgaria current hydropower policies are not able to ensure strong wildlife protection. Not coordinated construction plans could negatively affect clean water, fisheries and tourism, among others. WWF calls for stronger control over ongoing hydropower projects and efficient policy changes for nature protection.

Hydropower plant project in Defileul Jiului National Park threatens a valuable nature site

Defileul Jiului National Park - a protected Natura 2000 area in Romania, faces many threats due to old construction permits not agreed with the latest environmental requirements and EU laws. The planned construction will destroy 33 kilometers of river course and will harm the park ecosystem. WWF-Romania together with local NGOs and activists take actions to stop the harming hydropower plant project and ask the authorities to renew the old construction permit procedure according to the EU legal requirements.

The existing hydropower project obtained its environmental permit in 2003, but the work was suspended for many years due to lack of funds. In 2016 the project was re-started ignoring the latter incorporated EU legislation such as the Water Framework Directive, the Habitats and Birds Directives and the EIA Directive. Some of the current environmental requirements not taken into account in the plan are the designation of the park as a Natura 2000 site, the negative impact of the project over priority species and habitats, on the park ecosystem and ecological status of the water body.
 
The existing plan will lead to deterioration of the park’s scenery, deterioration of its hydro-morphological elements, and a loss of species important for local communities and their livelihoods such as fish, otter and bear. According to Romanian law, hydropower companies have an obligation to notify the authorities regarding any changes in the conditions that served as a basis of obtaining an environmental permit. Such announcement was not issued for the Defileul Jiului’s plan. There is an urgent need for the project to be halted and a new permit procedure to be opened.

An online petition urges people to support the resumption of the environmental permit for the hydropower plant in Defileul Jiului National Park: https://campaniamea.de-clic.ro/petitions/opriti-distrugerea-defileului-jiului

Bulgarian government should take a strong position on hydropower development

In Bulgaria, the Ministry of Environment is postponing important decisions regarding protection of rivers and wetlands from harming hydropower plans construction. There is a lack of solutions for critically important projects of public interest in the areas across rivers Cherni Iskar and Gorna Perka in Rila Mountain. The current situation shows low transparency, lack of consistent decisions taking and law infringements by the government authorities.

In September, fishing clubs and WWF-Bulgaria appealed an improperly issued permit for hydropower plant project across Cherni Iskar and Gorna Perka, which will be devastating for the river ecosystems and their biodiversity. Three months later there is no response from the Ministry even after the legal deadline.

Another neglect decision of the Ministry of Environment is the designation of Rila Buffer as a protected area. The territory of Rila Buffer is aimed to preserve the nature, to conserve the forests and rivers from damages and construction. The rivers Cherni Iskar and Gorna Perka fall into this planned territory for protection, but because of the vague status of the area the hydropower permit was not canceled. Because of the delay for the Natura 2000 area designation, Bulgaria was sent to the court by the European Commission.

WWF-Bulgaria is concerned that the slowdown of the decisions may be intentional and urges for more transparent permit process and hydropower developments according to the existing legislation in Bulgaria. WWF’s greatest concern is that the procrastination of the new plans for river basin management and their environmental assessments decrease the river protection and do not incorporate strong bans for hydropower plant construction within Natura 2000 areas. The Ministry of Environment should take a strong position and implement the existing policy on hydropower development.

Better policy on hydropower development needed in Ukraine

In Ukraine, the Cabinet approved a hydropower development program by 2026 which lacks consistency and does not incorporate strong environmental and nature protection. The program could lead to the destruction of river basins and nature ecosystems important for local communities, biodiversity loss and conservation failure.
 
Hydropower development, as an industry with highly environmental risks, should be regulated by policies which ensure transparent planning, relevant procedures and compatibility with international and national environmental legislations. The current policy is not able to fully eliminate the loss of biodiversity and is often only half-heartedly applied. The development of renewable energy sources in Ukraine should be led in a coherent way, to be strategical and to aim at minimizing additional anthropogenic pressure on ecosystems.
 
Regarding this, the hydropower development program by 2026 in Ukraine have to apply the following principles:

• Long-term goals and priorities of the energy sector development should be carefully studied, analyzed and decided before an expansion of hydropower production;
• Alternative solutions to be evaluated aiming to achieve climate and energy goals through energy efficiency and energy saving measures. A construction of new hydropower plants to be allowed only if increase of energy production is really needed and there is no environmentally friendly option existing.
• Natural flow rivers to be protected from anthropogenic pressure. Areas of high conservation value should be defined, declared as “no-go areas” and legally protected with a ban for hydropower construction.
• Each hydropower project to be subject of environmental impact assessment. A permit for construction activities should be obtained only after a positive EIA results.
• Environmental mitigation and compensation measures, such as fish passes and habitat restorations, should be developed and implemented within the hydropower projects framework on mandatory basis.
• The process of small hydropower plans development to be comprehensive, transparent, open for all stakeholders’ contribution and to involve environmental impact analysis.Each small hydropower project should be implemented in accordance with the national environmental and urban planning legislation.
• The conditions for granting “green tariff” support to small hydropower plants should be revised due to their high anthropological impact on the environment.

Full WWF position about the approved hydropower development program in Ukraine by 2026 can be found here.