Water and energy: all players get together for the first time

“This Forum is a milestone concerning the management of water and energy related issues” declares Richard Taylor, Executive Director of the International Hydropower Association (IHA). Indeed, after having previously focused mainly on hydropower, further interrelations between the two sectors have been explored in Marseille (as impacts of oil and gas abstraction on water, energy needs for desalination of water, reusing residues from waste water treatment to produce heat, etc.) . Jacques Labre, Director Institutional Relations and European Affairs at Suez-Environnement adds: “Together with the NGOs, youth representatives, enterprises, the academia etc. a significant number of oil and gas representatives joined the discussions here”. At the end of the Forum the target of 20 countries to commit to the Hydropower Sustainability Assessment Protocol is expected to be met in the next months. In addition, an international Policy Network on Water and Energy has been created, to enable players to exchange on best practices and spread knowledge.

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Category: News in brief