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ADVANCING PICO / MICRO HYDROPOWER IN THE GANGA, MEGHNA, BRAHMAPUTRA, AND SALWEEN RIVER BASINS

9/8/2021

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The river basins of the Ganges, Brahmaputra, Meghna, and Salween (GBMS) Rivers are endowed with rich natural resources, exceptional biodiversity, and vibrant indigenous cultures.  Yet social and environmental well-being continue to be undermined by large hydro development, as decision makers seek economic prosperity and economic recovery, in the stark context of a global pandemic. 

However, community-scale hydropower offers an alternative path that provides modern energy services, while strengthening the local social, economic, and ecological resources of this unique region.  The region is fortunate to have experienced local practitioners who have been advancing pico hydropower as a nature-based, community-centric solution for clean and sustainable energy access.
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Pico hydro manufacturing training participant in Meghalaya, India. Credit: Rams Vaidhyanathan
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Htan Hla Pin Community Micro Hydro, Shan State, Myanmar. Credit: Loïs Sevestre
​HPNET has engaged with local practitioners in the region since 2013, in partnership with International Rivers, Nagaland Empowerment of People thru Energy Development (NEPeD), and the Meghalaya Basin Development Authority (MBDA), and the Meghalaya State Council for Science and Technology for different activities.   We have mapped stakeholders, visited sites, and held dialogues on opportunities, challenges, and regional best practices, based on a 4-step approach to knowledge exchange.   Since 2019 the approach has been refined into a knowledge-to-impact initiative called Social Enterprise for Energy, Ecological and Economic Development (SEEED).  SEEED is based on 40-years of experiential hindsight in the global South on what makes community hydro systems sustainable and deliver optimal results.  The SEEED Accelerator was launched this quarter, enabling practitioners to customize proven sustainability mechanisms to local contexts, unlocking their potential to generate climate resilient socio-economic co-benefits.
​A key component of the SEEED Accelerator is to establish peer-to-peer and multi-stakeholder cohorts, targeting different geographic regions.  We’re excited to launch the first SEEED cohort -- focusing on the basin regions of the Ganges, Brahmaputra, Meghna, and Salween Rivers (GBMS) in partnership with International Rivers, supported by TROSA and the WISIONS initiative at the Wuppertal Institute of Climate, Environment and Energy.  The partnership offers three learning opportunities for field-based practitioners in the GBMS basins -- namely  group capacity building, individual customized coaching, and peer-to-peer exchange.  Read on to learn more!
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Map showing Ganges-Brahmaputra-Meghna and Salween river basins: Program basins of Oxfam’s Transboundary Rivers of South Asia (TROSA) program. Credit: Oxfam in Asia

Cohort Capacity Building
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The GBMS SEEED cohort kicked off earlier this month with a 3-day virtual capacity building event, offering technical capacity building for small-scale hydro practitioners working directly with communities in the GBMS regions (i.e. Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Myanmar, Nepal or Thailand).  The course was conducted by Mr. Ramasubramanian (a.k.a Rams) Vaidhyanathan, focusing on site assessment and the basics of system design for systems < 10 kW.  Days 1 and 3 were conducted online, and Day 2 included optional field assessment work.  The group of 20+ participants are continuing to solidify their understanding of key topics while also learning about each other’s work through group emails facilitated by Rams.  Remaining committed to field-based practitioners, the HPNET Secretariat will continue to facilitate learning exchange among the cohort beyond the HPNET - Intl Rivers partnership period.
Customized Individual Coaching
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All participants who completed the 3-day group training have been invited to receive follow-up, customized capacity building.  This allows helping to resolve each participant’s specific technical issues in their ongoing initiatives and to improve their technical processes to prevent issues.   This type of support is important for both advanced practitioners (e.g. NE India practitioners scaling up their work to hundreds of implementations this year), as well as beginning level practitioners (e.g. civil society organizations in Myanmar who are conducting their very first feasibility studies).  It is also an opportunity for the HPNET Secretariat to continue refining its approach to the SEEED Accelerator, better responding to and strategizing context-specific needs for future cohorts.
​Peer-to-Peer Exchange Event

An exchange event will be held on 21-22 September, 2021.  Building upon exchanges conducted in 2016, 2018, and 2019,  this 2-day virtual event aims to provide opportunities for South-South, peer-to-peer exchange and multi-stakeholder dialogue.  Day 1 will focus on sharing from field-based practitioners from across the Asia Pacific, while Day 2 will focus on multi-stakeholder dialogue on country and state specific challenges and opportunities in the GBMS regions.  See here for details on how to participate!  
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PROFILE: BANGLADESH'S SMALL-SCALE HYDROPOWER STATUS AND OPPORTUNITY CONTEXT

11/1/2015

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PictureHydro resource assessment by Stream Tech Inc., Source: Stream Tech, Inc. “Study on Prospective Hydroelectricity Generation in Southeast Bangladesh"
​Previously, electricity generation in Bangladesh was mono-fuel dependent due to ample availability of indigenous natural gas.  Now, about 80% of generated power in Bangladesh comes from natural gas and the rest from coal and hydropower. The present share of electricity generation from large and small-scale hydropower is nearly 2.5% of total installed capacity. Though, in recent years, due to depleting existing gas reserves and non-exploration of new gas reserves, the Government of Bangladesh has diversified the Power Generation Fuel Mix. Development of renewable energy is one of the important strategies adopted as part of Fuel Diversification Program. 

Further, a joint Multilateral Development Bank (MDB) team (including representatives from the International Development Association (IDA), the International Finance Corporation (IFC), and the Asian Development Bank (ADB)) will be conducting a Joint Mission for the Scaling-up Renewable Energy Program in Low Income Countries (SREP). The team has visited Bangladesh to discuss with the Government and the main stakeholders the preparation of the SREP Investment Plan, where possible funding for Bangladesh will be US$75 million.  They will have agreed on next steps and a timeline to finalize the plan and submit to the SREP Sub-Committee for approval in November 2015.  A consulting firm, DH Infrastructure, in association with Black and Veatch and Prokaushali Sangsad Ltd, was appointed to assist the Government of Bangladesh in preparing this SREP Investment Plan. In this Plan, small-scale-scale hydropower was considered as a potential energy sector for Bangladesh.   

​A reliable assessment estimates a generation capacity of 60MW of small-scale hydropower, allowing production of 200 GWh of electricity annually. However, in the final decision making process, grid-connected, small-scale hydropower was not considered for SREP funding, because of the lack of reliable data on sites and because of the social and environmental problems Bangladesh has had in the past with hydropower projects.  Hydropower projects will, however, be studied further for possible inclusion in the Phase 2 investment plan.

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Potential small-scale hydropower sites in Bangladesh. Source: SREP Investment Plan.
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Estimated costs of Potential Small-scale Hydropower sites. Source: SREP Investment Plan.
A 2014 study by Stream Tech (a US-based engineering firm) for The Ministry of Power, Energy and Mineral Resources identified potential hydropower sites at different locations along the Sangu, Matamuhuri, and Bakkhali Rivers, as well as the Banshkhali Eco-park stream.  Much of the small-scale-scale hydropower potential of Bangladesh remains unused due to the lack of reliable hydrological data, proper policy and planning.  However, steps can be taken to remedy the situation through dissemination of reliable data that can inform policy development and energy planning, as well as guide investors in entering renewable energy markets. 

Recommendations and Possible Contribution Areas for HPNET

Regional knowledge exchange can assist Bangladesh in initiating small-scale hydropower planning and policy. The government is not considering hydropower as eligible technologies for Feed-in Tariff (FIT) regulation as well. As in the SREP Investment Plan, possible funding for Bangladesh will be US$75 million, government should take this opportunity to scale up renewable energy technologies specially small-scale-scale hydropower in the country and consider hydropower in the FIT regulation to encourage private sector investors. As HPNET is working for the advancement and advocacy of resilient micro hydropower towards equitable and sustainable development of rural communities in South and Southeast Asia, an advocacy project can be designed to influence the experts, policy makers and government people for considering small-scale hydropower in FIT regulation. It would be a good opportunity for HPNET to highlight regional capabilities and reach out to policy makers and resource persons of Bangladesh. The SREP investment plan is also considering small-scale hydropower as one of the renewable energy technologies which will be scaled up. HPNET members could potentially contribute to the SREP joint mission for planning the development of small-scale hydropower in Bangladesh in the near future. HPNET could help coordinate the various development organizations (e.g. Practical Action, Bangladesh) for facilitating these advocacy processes in Bangladesh.
Due to the abundance of rivers and canals, Bangladesh has a good run-off river micro-hydro potential but it is yet to be explored. Bangladesh has a lot of identified potential sites in Chittagong Hill Tracts, a largely un-electrified region with mostly rural, indigenous communities. However, still there is no significant achievement in the development of small-scale hydropower in Bangladesh, with respect to its actual potential. Now the Government of Bangladesh, along with various institutions, networks and donors such as USAID, Practical Action Bangladesh, and others have realized its benefits and importance and are working towards further development.​
The full report of the above excerpt can be found here.


By HPNET Member Md.  Sayeed-Ur-Rahim Mahadi, Practical Action, Bangladesh
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