Commission Internationale des Grands Barrages (CIGB)

🇺🇸 Last weekend, the #ICOLD Secretary General, Frederic Correge, attended the kickoff and 1st stakeholders' meeting of the 11th World Water Forum (Conseil mondial de l’eau), in #Ryad. 🇫🇷 Le week end dernier, le Secrétaire Général, Frédéric Corrégé, a assisté au lancement et à la première réunion des parties prenantes du 11ème Forum Mondial de l'Eau, à Ryad.

The ICOLD World Declaration on Dams in the Energy Transition and Climate Change, has been publicly presented once more. This time in the Conference on Energy Storage, held in Madrid on 31st March. ICOLD strongly recommends the following actions:  i)          Development of storage capacity worldwide, since per capita storage capacity is declining. ii)        Acceleration of hydroelectric development, to balance growth and energy transition towards the net zero pathway. iii)       Development of hydroelectric potential, especially in developing world, demands significant efforts, commitment and cooperation amongst main stakeholders such as international organizations, governments, relevant institutions, NGOs, and civil society. iv)       Introduction of energy storage as a new official use of reservoirs in water acts and permitting regulations, to facilitate effective energy transition and modern water management adapted to current needs. v)        Establishment of a clear and stable regulatory framework for energy storage that includes additional tariffs for energy storage. vi)       Administrative reforms to be carried out urgently to simplify and expedite procedures for granting concessions for new hydroelectric and pumped storage projects. vii)     Highlighting the positive environmental impacts of dam and reservoir projects contributing to water needs and energy transition, recognizing that in many cases, the positive impacts can outweigh other negative impacts. viii)   Strengthening dam safety management in face of extreme events exacerbated by climate change. ix)       Promoting sustainable water and sediment management x)        Promoting research and development into new technologies that facilitate climate change mitigation and adaptation efforts. This important declaration was adopted in New Delhi by the General Assembly of ICOLD last October and will be issued in Chengdu next month. The special committee ad-hoc created by Michel Lino for preparing it, was chaired by Devendra Kumar Sharma and myself Enrique CIFRES, with the unvaluable support of ICOLD-VP Liza Bensasson and the participation of Fabian Restelli (Argentina), Imo Epko (Nigeria), Denis Aelbrecht (France), Mojtaba Shourian (Iran), A.B. Pandya (India), XU Zeiping and ZHENG Cuying (China). International Commission on Large Dams (ICOLD) SPANCOLD - Comité Nacional Español de Grandes Presas International Hydropower Association (IHA) International Commission on Irrigation and Drainage (ICID) International Energy Agency (IEA) IME Institut Méditerranéen de l'Eau Colegio de Ingenieros de Caminos, Canales y Puertos Colegio de Ing. de Caminos, Canales y Puertos CV #dams #hydropower #energystorge #psp #climatechange #water

🇺🇸 Our friends of the ICOLD 2025 Organising Committee have put together an excellent programme, including short courses: 1️⃣ Course 1: Digital and Intelligent Design Technology 7 Modules: Covering HydroBIM, BIM+GIS, reservoir design, and dam generative design. Hands-On Learning: Gain practical skills with state-of-the-art software. Efficient & Practical: Short-term training with real-world application. 2️⃣ Course 2: Dispatching and Control of Dams and Reservoirs Expert Talk: Learn core technologies for centralized control. On-Site Visit: Explore the Three Gorges Cascade Dispatch Center. Global Applications: Optimize resource use and flood management. 3️⃣ Course 3: Hydraulic Engineering in Mountainous Rivers Expert-Led Courses: Flood safety, ecological protection, and disaster prevention. Lab Visit: Tour the State Key Laboratory of Hydraulics and Mountain River Engineering. Practical Learning: Address real-world challenges with global experts. 4️⃣ Course 4: Rock-Filled Concrete Dam Technology Expert Lecture: Learn from Professor Jin Feng, a pioneer in the field. Field Trip: Visit the Yanjia River Reservoir construction site. Cost Efficiency: Save 10%-30% compared to traditional methods. Full program on the website: >>> Register now Shape the Future of Dams and Reservoirs! <<< www.icold-cigb2025.com (French translation in the 1st Comment)

🇺🇸 The ICOLD Board of Directors is currently in #Athens to prepare future actions of #ICOLD and to finalize the last details of our next Congress in #Chengdu (in May 2025: don't forget to register, if you haven't already done so). 🇫🇷 Le Conseil d'administration de la CIGB est actuellement à #Athènes pour préparer les actions futures de la #CIGB et pour finaliser les derniers détails de notre prochain Congrès à #Chengdu (en mai 2025 : n'oubliez pas de vous inscrire, si ce n'est déjà fait). Thanks to our Vice President Bensassson Lisa, for organizing this board meeting. :-) 👍 from left to right (de gauche à droite) Dean B. Durkee, Ph.D., P.E. Bensassson Lisa Laurent Mouvet GUANFU CHEN Michel Lino Frederic Correge Tetsuya Sumi Quentin Shaw

🇺🇸 Have you registered yet? Our next congress and annual meeting are fast approaching. Don't hesitate to visit the event website to find out more about the programme. Between the various Workshops (organised by CHINCOLD or certain ICOLD Technical Committees), the International Symposium (organised by CHINCOLD) and the discussions around the Questions of the 28th Congress, this week promises to be very interesting and rewarding. Register now ➡️ https://lnkd.in/dSQU9_wU ⬅️ 🇫🇷 Êtes-vous déjà inscrit ? Notre prochain Congrès et notre Réunion Annuelle approchent à grands pas. N'hésitez pas à vous rendre sur le site de l'événement pour en savoir plus sur le programme. Entre les différents Ateliers (organisés par CHINCOLD ou certains Comités techniques de la CIGB), le Symposium International (organisé par CHINCOLD) et les discussions autour des Questions du 28ème Congrès, cette semaine s'annonce très intéressante et enrichissante. Enregistrez vous dès maintenant !

🇺🇸 You may have heard the news. Our Latest Newsletter is out ! Check it out and share it with your members. 🇫🇷 Vous avez peut-être entendu la nouvelle. Notre dernière lettre d'information est sortie !  Consultez-la et partagez-la avec vos membres.

African countries are looking to get electricity for 300 milllions people before 2030. This challenge will not be successfully accomplished without dams and hydropower. Because most African countries are not connected to a neighbour sufficiently equipped to make up for the intermittent nature of renewable energies. Les pays africains cherchent à raccorder 300 millions de personnes à l'électricité avant 2030. Ce défi ne pourra être réussi dans l'apport des barrages et de l'hydroélectricité. Car la plupart des pays africains ne sont pas interconnectés à des voisins suffisamment équipés pour pallier la nature intermittente des énergies renouvelables comme le solaire et l'éolien. https://lnkd.in/enkEG8cB

Is there potential for #pumped #storage #hydropower in the European Union? In this paper we have addressed this, by quantifying energy storage capacity in existing pumping systems and quantifying and reviewing existing data on future potentials! ✔️ Full paper here https://lnkd.in/d7uKKUA5 Key output: ✅ assessing current energy storage requires to do several assumptions, and a closer collaboration with data owners is essential for the future ✅ future #sustainable potential includes using abandoned mines (+4 TWh), interconnecting reservoirs (hundreds of GWh) and modernising existing reservoirs and pumping systems to increase storage capacity (de-sedimentation, dam heightening) and flexibility (XFLEX HYDRO) ✅ greenfield pumped storage hydropower plants are possible, with a potential for new closed-loop type of tens of TWh (but the environmental impacts must be considered); a better coordination of cascade open-loop PSH systems and of cascade traditional hydropower reservoirs can increase the storage potential by a few times with respect to the stand-alone operation (the Swedish case is a great example). The European Commission has funded Horizon projects on this topic! STOR-HY: Innovative Storage in Hydropower, Store2Hydro, XFLEX HYDRO, Rehydro, ALPHEUS, as well as Atlantis in abandoned mines. ❗ Do not forget the webinar of today of the International Hydropower Association (IHA) (Rebecca Ellis, Gordon Edge, Matteo Bianciotto) https://lnkd.in/dVeinvFQ EASE - The European Association for Storage of Energy

World Water Council President #Loic_Fauchon gave a strong support for dams and hydropower in his New year message : "Energy: Powering progress with every drop. The efficient use of water is essential for energy production, particularly in hydropower, which can offer sustainable solutions to meet growing global energy demands." Is it necessary to remind that most of hydropower production needs a dam ? Le Président du CONSEIL MONDIAL DE L'EAU, Loïc Fauchon, a envoyé un fort signal de soutien pour l'hydroélectricité dans ses voeux de la Nouvelle Année : "Énergie : Alimenter le progrès avec chaque goutte. L'utilisation efficace de l'eau est essentielle à la production d'énergie, en particulier dans le domaine de l'hydroélectricité, qui peut offrir des solutions durables pour répondre à la demande énergétique mondiale croissante."

🇺🇸 Happy New Year to you all ! 🥳 And the new year start with an ICOLD board, in our Office, near Paris. (from left to right: Dean B. Durkee, Ph.D., P.E., Pr Tetsuya Sumi, Michel Lino, Laurent Mouvet, Frederic Correge, Bensassson Lisa, GUANFU CHEN, and on Visio by Teams, Quentin Shaw) 🇫🇷 Bonne année à tous ! 🥳 La nouvelle année commence avec un Conseil d'Administration de la CIGB, dans nos bureaux, à côté de Paris)