The HYDROPOWER Mediterranean Workshop in Chania, Greece took place on 30 September – 1 October and brought together experts from both academia and industry. It was the last of three workshops across Europe to develop a Research and Innovation Agenda and a Strategic Industry Roadmap for the hydropower sector.

More than 30 experts from 10 different countries joined the discussions at the Cultural Center of Chania on how the hydropower sector should shape the future European energy system, especially in the Mediterranean regions of Europe.

“For the Mediterranean countries, hydropower plants play an important role not only today but also in future as a basic funding source for multi-purpose projects ensuring besides energy also water and food production. Many countries are already touched by climate change and need to mitigate the effects by the construction of new dams and reservoirs. Medium size pumped-storage power plants are essential for the integration of volatile wind and solar energy, especially in island situations without interconnection”, says Prof. Anton Schleiss, coordinator of the project.

With an emphasis on local communities’ needs and priorities, the participants were divided into focus groups. Their discussions and conclusions were shared with all the participants and will now feed into HYDROPOWER EUROPE’s Research and Innovation Agenda and Strategic Roadmap.

The Mediterranean Workshop was the last of three regional workshops to take place. The previous focused on other regions:

·      Nordic Regional Workshop: 28 – 29 August, Sweden

·      Alpine Regional Workshop: 11 – 12 September, Switzerland

More information: https://consultation.hydropower-europe.eu/hydropower-europe-consultation-programme/regional-workshops/