Hydropower and climate change

Charging Ahead: Sydney 2027

The next World Hydropower Congress will be held in Sydney, Australia, on 6-8 April 2027, following a successful bid led by Business Events Sydney.

Pumped storage hydropower

Clean, green renewable water batteries

Hydropower's role

Modern, affordable
and flexible

Industry good practice

Safeguarding communities and the environment

Powering the Future

The World Hydropower Congress is the sector’s flagship global gathering, bringing together leaders from government, finance, industry and civil society to shape policies and solutions for sustainable hydropower and the journey to net zero. It has a legacy of shaping global hydropower policy and practice, with past editions hosted in Indonesia, Costa Rica, France, Ethiopia, China, Malaysia, Brazil, Iceland and Türkiye.

2023 Speaker highlights

Malcolm

Turnbull

President Designate of IHA and former Australian Prime Minister

Abang Haji Abdul Rahman Zohari

Minister of Energy and Mineral Resources for the Republic of Indonesia

Secretary-General of the Commonwealth

Arifin

Tasrif

Minister of Energy and Mineral Resources for the Republic of Indonesia

Abang Haji Abdul Rahman Zohari

Tun Abang Haji Openg

Premier of Sarawak

Meet the experts

Meet and hear thoughts from the planet’s leading thought leaders, decision-makers and influencers including Erik Solheim (former UN Under Secretary-General); Abang Haji Abdul Rahman Zohari Tun Abang Hj Openg (Premier of Sarawak, Malaysia); and Arifin Tasrif (Minister of Energy and Mineral Resources Indonesia).

Networking

Discover the latest industry innovations and network with developers, operators and manufacturers with Congress exhibitors from across the world.

Learn about opportunities for sustainable hydropower

Hear from the team that delivered the World Hydropower Outlook and gain an understanding of the potential for sustainable hydropower on a global and regional scale.

The Stake holder forum

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What happened in 2021
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Special event: Tony Blair and Malcolm Turnbull in conversation

A special event on the opening day of Congress brought together two former Prime Ministers, both of whom played a pivotal role in putting climate change high on the national and global political agenda.

Tony Blair, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom (1997-2007) and Malcolm Turnbull, Prime Minister of Australia (2015-2018) outlined some of the critical considerations needed to advance sustainable hydropower; from how to avoid the risk of future blackouts through to how net zero can be achieved without a compromise to continued global growth.

China Three Gorges Corporation: Helping China to reach its net zero carbon goals

China Three Gorges Corporation (CTG) is the world’s biggest investor in hydropower and also has an impressive solar and wind portfolio. It has taken a major step to expand China’s use of renewable energy and reduce carbon emissions with the opening of the Baihetan hydropower plant in June 2021.

Baihetan, in southwest China on the Jinsha River (a tributary of the Yangtze), has 16 generators with a capacity of 1 million kilowatts each. It is expected to be fully online by the end of 2022, and it is estimated that it will reduce carbon emissions by 51.6 million tonnes annually.

San José Declaration on Sustainable Hydropower

The San José Declaration on Sustainable Hydropower, issued at the conclusion of the World Hydropower Congress, outlines a vision for hydropower’s contribution to meeting global climate and development goals.

The Declaration was presented at COP26 and identified a set of principles, recommendations and commitments to guide new developments and enhance the sector’s contribution to the energy transition.

Launch of the Hydropower Sustainability Standard

At the 2021 Congress, hydropower companies and international organisations declared their support for a new sustainability certification scheme for hydropower.

The Hydropower Sustainability Standard will help to ensure that hydropower projects across the world are recognised and certified for their environmental, social and governance (ESG) performance.

The 2023 Congress took place under the leadership of Indonesian President Joko Widodo. The Government of the Republic of Indonesia has set out an ambitious path for growth through renewables.

Hosted by

Organised by

Primary partner

Strategic partner

Supporting partners

Exhibitor premium

Official airline

Sustainability partner

About the event

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