Brazil’s prolonged drought has drastically reduced soil moisture in the main hydropower basins, causing a major challenge to hydropower generation, which generates around 70 per cent of Brazil’s electricity.
The US Department of Energy (DOE) has announced selection of 293 hydropower improvement projects across 33 states that will receive up to $430 million in incentive payments.
A severe landslide in the Indian state of Sikkim has destroyed the 510 MW Teesta V hydropower station owned by NHPC.
The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has approved a $21 million grant as additional financing to expand the supply of renewable energy in Tajikistan by modernising the Golovnaya hydropower plant.
The Cameroon Government has announced a competitive bidding process for the EPC of the 500 MW Kikot-Mbébé hydropower plant, located 60 km northwest of Yaoundé, in central Cameroon.
Escalating silt levels in the rivers of the Indian state of Himachal Pradesh have begun to disrupt hydropower production, particularly on the Satluj River.
Zambia has started a programme that allows electricity customers to feed power into the national grid, contributing to supply and encouraging the increased use of solar panels.
SSE has announced plans to progress a new pumped storage hydropower scheme at Loch Fearna in Scotland’s Great Glen, in a 50-50 joint venture with a consortium led by Gilkes Energy.
Ontario Power Generation (OPG) of Canada has announced it is spending C$1 billion to refurbish eight hydropower plants in eastern Ontario.
China has reduced power generation from fossil fuels as output from sunlight and water surges, suggesting that China’s emission levels may have peaked.