South &
Southeast
Asia
Hydropower in South and South-East Asia plays a crucial role in meeting the region's growing energy demands and fostering sustainable development. This region is characterized by a diverse landscape of rivers, including the Ganges, Brahmaputra, Mekong, and many others, providing abundant opportunities for hydropower development. Countries like India, Nepal, Bhutan, Indonesia and Malaysia have harnessed this potential by investing in large-scale hydropower projects to meet their increasing energy needs, reduce reliance on fossil fuels, and enhance energy security.
Karnali Province, Nepal, photo by Simon Howard
MALAYSIA
Sarawak Energy Berhad, Malaysia’s largest renewable energy developer, has been working with us since 2013 to enhance sustainable hydropower practices in Sarawak. This collaboration has led to the training of a record number of SEB staff on the Hydropower Sustainability Standard and has supported both official and unofficial assessments of SEB's hydropower projects.
Assessor training for Sarawak staff, 2019
INDONESIA
We have been working actively with the Indonesian Ministry of National Development Planning (BAPPENAS) since 2017.
In this period, we have trained over 100 professionals, online and in-person on the HS Standard. The HS Standard has become a household name among high-ranking Indonesian government officials. In May 2023, a group of Assessors have conducted an assessment of the country's most iconic and important reservoirs. Jatiluhur dam provides more than 80% of the water supply to the capital Jakarta.
Prior to this assessment, we have conducted an assessment of Kusan Dam, which empowered local consultants in their understanding of the HS Standard. As a result of our programme, we have two Provisional Accredited Assessors from Indonesia.
Assessment of the Jatiluhur project, 2023
NEPAL
In Nepal, we have partnered with Bizbell, Nepal Hydropower Association and the Hydropower Investment and Development Company Limited (HIDCL) to deliver a capacity building programme to support Nepal's hydropower industry implement the HS Standard and attract green finance.
The programme is supported by the Norwegian Agency for Development Cooperation (Norad) with the goal of making the country a hub for sustainable hydropower development in South Asia. Through this partnership, over 60 professionals have become Certified Users and three professionals have progressed to becoming Accredited Assessors.
So far, three projects (Chuwa, Upper Chuwa and Mai Beni) have been assessed against the HS Standard and we see a great potential for more projects joining them on this sustainability journey.
Assessment of the Mai Beni project
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Assessments in the region
