On December 6, the International webinar for China-Europe exchange of knowledge and best practices on sediment management for sustainable hydropower was successfully held. The webinar was organized online by the Swedish Agency for Marine and Water Management (SwAM), the China Institute of Water Resources and Hydropower Research (IWHR) and the UNESCO International Sediment Initiative (ISI) on the topics of “Sedimentation problems caused by hydropower in China and Europe, legislations and regulatory requirements of sediment management for hydropower in China and Europe, and technical solutions adopted by China and Europe to solve these problems”.

The webinar aimed at exchanging the achievements and experiences in sediment management for hydropower in different regions of China and Europe, and promoting the knowledge sharing between the hydropower industries. More than 70 representatives of experts and postgraduate students from Sweden, Austria, Italy, Germany, Switzerland, Nigeria, China and other countries participated online in the exchange and discussion.

The following 6 lectures were delivered in this webinar:

ü    “Sedimentation process of reservoirs in sandy rivers” by Prof. Wang Dangwei from IWHR,

ü    “Christian Doppler Laboratory for Sediment Research and Management - economical, technical and ecological optimization of hydropower use to improve sediment management”, by Dr. Christoph Hauer from the University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Vienna (BOKU)

ü    “Sediment management techniques applied in the reservoir of the hydropower station of Pontecosi in the Serchio river, Italy” by Prof. Lorenzo Cappietti and Prof. Luca Solari from the University of Florence (UNIFI)

ü    “Evolution and Refinement of the Concept of Long-term Reservoir Utilization” by Dr. Le Maohua from IWHR,

ü    “Sediment Budgetting and Management in German” by Prof. Thomas Hoffmann, member of ISI Scientific Advisory, from German Federal Institute of Hydrology (BfG),

ü    “Modeling reservoir sedimentation across Europe with the E-HYPE hydrological model” by Dr. Conrad Brendel from Swedish Meteorological and Hydrological Institute (SMHI).

Sediment management is a critical challenge for the sustainable operation of hydropower plants. Sedimentation reduces reservoir capacity, decreases the operational efficiency of hydropower plants and has a serious impact on the environment. Effective sediment management strategies are essential to ensure the long-term sustainability of hydropower, especially in regions where hydropower projects are a significant part of the energy system, such as Europe and China. Experts at this webinar presented different perspectives on the unique sediment management challenges faced by hydropower operations, regulatory frameworks, and innovative solutions being implemented, providing a platform for extensive exchange and sharing among participants, and providing important references for global hydropower sediment management and sustainable development.

Prof. Thomas Hoffmann (member of ISI Scientific Advisory) gave a lecture