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Hydropower plants using freshwater are usually combined with the construction of dams, reservoirs and diversions. Stored water is released and rotates the turbines which generate electricity. Almost all of the water released by hydropower plants is directly returned to the environment. The amount of water consumed by hydropower plants is considered negligible, but it actually depends on the site and the technology configuration, and there is no overall estimate for its range (IEA and OECD, 2010). Hydropower installations can have significant hydromorphological impacts, as they impede the natural water and nutrient cycle, and they create obstacles for the transport of freshwater biodiversity, sediments and substances. Generation of hydropower from large and small dams has increased substantially during the last century, but the growth has slowed down in recent decades, because the most productive locations are already occupied and because environmental permitting in Europe has become more comprehensive, following the adoption of the WFD (permitting procedure under Art. 4.7). However, hydropower installations have multiplied in areas such as the West Balkans. More than half of the electricity production in Albania, Austria, Croatia, Iceland, Luxemburg and Montenegro comes from hydropower (EEA, 2018b).

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  • bednamal (Malgorzata Bednarek) 05 Feb 2021 12:20:03

    POLAND

    It might be mentioned that the impact of reservoirs includes methane emission.

    • zalllnih (Nihat Zal) 30 Jun 2021 12:00:04

       It is a very good point but it is a bit outside of the scope of the Report.

      POLAND

      It might be mentioned that the impact of reservoirs includes methane emission.

       

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