- The first ever IEA market report dedicated to hydropower highlights the economic and policy environment for hydropower development, addresses the challenges it faces, and offers recommendations to accelerate growth and maintain the existing infrastructure.
- The report presents ten-year capacity and generation forecasts for reservoir, run-of-river and pumped storage projects across the globe, based on bottom-up country and project-level monitoring.
- Global hydropower capacity is set to increase by 17%, or 230 GW, between 2021 and 2030.
- Sub-Saharan Africa is expected to record the third‑largest growth in hydropower capacity over the next decade, owing to large untapped potential and the need to increase electricity access at a low cost.
Report Highlights
China is set to remain the single largest hydropower market through 2030, accounting for 40% of global capacity growth in our forecast. However, China’s share of global hydropower additions has been declining since its peak of almost 60% between 2001 and 2010. China’s pace of hydropower development has slowed due to growing concerns over environmental impacts and the decreasing availability of economically attractive sites for large projects.
Growing electricity demand and export opportunities are driving faster hydropower expansion in Southeast Asia and Africa. Sub-Saharan Africa is expected to record the third‑largest growth in hydropower capacity over the next decade, owing to large untapped potential and the need to increase electricity access at a low cost. Over half of all new hydropower projects in sub-Saharan Africa, Southeast Asia and Latin America through 2030 are set to be either built, financed, partially financed or owned by Chinese firms.
Related news: Ethiopia to go ahead with dam filling of 6450MW Grand Renaissance Dam Hydro Project
More broadly, over 75% of new hydropower capacity worldwide through 2030 is expected to come in the form of large-scale projects in Asia and Africa commissioned by state-owned enterprises.
Related news: Tanzania – construction of 2115 MW hydro project on track
Link to full report summary HERE
Author: Bryan Groenendaal
