Website Management
Site Manager
The website will be managed by a Website Management Team operated by Hydro Tasmania.
Until establishment of the proposed Sustainable Hydropower Foundation, the Website Management Team will operate under the guidance of a Website Reference Panel comprising IHA and UNESCO representatives.
Eligible Schemes
Schemes to be included on the website can encompass the full life-cycle of hydropower schemes, from planning, design, construction, operation and decommissioning.
This site only includes schemes that others can look to as examples of how to address particular sustainability issues. Therefore, inclusion of a scheme on the website will be dependent on the scheme demonstrating innovative or excellent management of one or more of the sustainability aspects listed on this site, where this aspect was considered problematic or requiring sensitive management.
Schemes that have been constructed under incentive schemes to encourage renewable energy do not qualify for site inclusion based solely on this aspect, as there would be far too many over time. If sites have pursued particularly innovative approaches to intentionally avoid greenhouse gas generation, for example through siting and design or operating patterns, these would be considered for inclusion.
Schemes will be included on this site that may not be considered completely ‘sustainable’ in all their aspects, if there are particularly innovative or educational approaches taken by the scheme to manage any one particular sustainability aspect. Each scheme summary will include a section called ‘Sustainability Challenges’ which will identify aspects of that scheme which have been or continue to be problematic.
Scheme Nominations
Scheme nominations will be accepted by submission through the live website (Scheme Nomination form) or by mail (Contacts). Nominations need to include a description of the scheme in the format shown on the Scheme Nomination form.
The Website Management Team will initially review the nomination. If appropriate, the information will then be posted on the website as a nominated scheme requiring site assessment.
Scheme Assessments
In the long term, inclusion of a scheme on the website requires an independent assessment of the scheme, which will be based upon the IHA Sustainability Assessment Protocol. The assessment will comprise a tour of the scheme, interviews with staff and external stakeholders as appropriate, and review of documentation as requested by the assessment team.
Assessments will be undertaken by individuals or organizations providing this role on a consulting basis. Sustainable Hydropower Website assessors must be approved by the Website Reference Panel, and:
Agreement on if and what sustainability aspect the scheme best illustrates will be made between the assessment team and the scheme owner/operator. A scheme summary will then be drafted in agreement with the scheme owner/operator and scheme assessment team for presentation to the Website Reference Panel.
Upon establishment of the proposed Sustainable Hydropower Foundation, the assessments will be undertaken by auditors accredited by the Governing Board of the Sustainable Hydropower Foundation.
The IHA Sustainability Assessment
The Sustainability Assessment, presently in draft, is being developed as an industry audit tool to provide a mechanism to assess sustainability of new and existing hydropower schemes. It establishes a rating system for each of the key sustainability aspects, and the audit process requires the provision of evidence to support the assessment of scheme performance. The Protocol has been developed in consultation with industry and a number of international non-government agencies. As of October 2005 it has been tested in North America and Europe, with tests planned for Africa and Asia, to assess its applicability to schemes at a range of scales and in a range of contexts.
Opportunities to further test and refine this audit tool are being sought (What You Can Do).
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Reference Panel Approval
Inclusion of a scheme requires the review and sign-off of the Website Reference Panel, and approval of scheme inclusion is by Panel consensus.
As an interim arrangement, the Panel will comprise three members of the IHA and one representative from UNESCO, and will meet two times per year.
The expectations of Reference Panel members would be:
• independence from any interests in the scheme under assessment; and
• clearly demonstrated experience in the water and/or energy sectors.
Upon establishment of the proposed Sustainable Hydropower Foundation, the Website Reference Panel will be appointed by the Foundation Governing Board, and so have greater representation by non-industry members.
Time Span
Schemes approved by the Website Reference Panel will retain their presence on the website for a period of five years.
After five years, they will undergo an updated site assessment and require the approval of the Reference Panel. If approved for ongoing inclusion, the website will contain an updated summary of the scheme.
Feedback and Public Comment
The site allows for feedback and public comment on any scheme included on the site. This will not only be for the nominated schemes which have a formal twelve week public comment period, but also for approved schemes during their five year period on the site.
If feedback and public comment brings relevant new information to light, the Website Reference Panel may request the assessment to be re-done. The Website Reference Panel can initiate this process at any stage in the five-year cycle, and provide closer scrutiny of the assessment process if warranted.
References and Resources
Under each of the sustainability aspects one can find a tab which includes references and resources on that topic. Contributions for inclusions to these areas are sought.
Businesses and consultants providing services relevant to that aspect (for example, expertise in calculations of environmental flows) can be listed as a resource provided that they provide information demonstrating their expertise and an annual fee which will go to support the Sustainable Hydropower Foundation.
Links to Sustainability Certification
No overall sustainability rating is made for the schemes on this site. This would be undertaken as part of a Sustainable Hydropower Certification Program, which is under development.
A Sustainable Hydropower Certification Program would demonstrate that a project meets a certain standard of sustainability performance. Schemes would undergo an assessment rating under the Sustainability Assessment and obtain verification of their achievements through certification. Assessments would be undertaken as formal audits by auditors accredited with a certification governing board. Such a program would provide assurance to potential owners, investors, developers, regulators, insurance providers and other stakeholders about minimisation of risks.
Schemes which receive certification for sustainability under this future program would be included on the Sustainable Hydropower Website under a specific section for certified schemes.
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