Over a decade after the first systematic data collection on hydropower development in the Balkans, the latest Balkan Hydropower Update 2024 reveals a mixed reality.

The Ministry of Spatial Planning, Civil Engineering, and Ecology of the Repub

The International Union for Conservation of Nature released an assessment report about the controversial water abstraction project from the Shushica River. The report concluded that the proposed project would severely impact the national park’s biodiversity and fail to comply with IUCN national park standards.

On 11 December 2024, a court in Tirana finally ended the threat of hydropower plants on the Shushica - one of the main tributaries of the Vjosa and part of the Vjosa Wild River National Park.

A recent study conducted by researchers from Austria’s Boku University provides crucial insights into the status and conservation needs of Danube salmon, or huchen, populations within Bosnia’s Upper Drina Basin.

Thanks to the determination of local citizens the Government of the Republic of Srpska officially terminated concession contracts for two hydropower plants on the Black and White Rzav Rivers. This follows years of protests that successfully stopped the construction of seven small hydropower plants, ensuring the river’s protection.

Under the banner “Uniting Voices for the Blue Heart of Europe” this year’s Balkan River Summit brought together over 100 international river conservation experts, scientists and activists in Podgorica, Montenegro. The event aimed at uniting river defenders to protect the valuable Balkan rivers and to speak out against the imminent and systematic threat the rivers are facing.

New threats to the Sutjeska and Jabušnica rivers are emerging, as construction of a new hydropower plant threatens the ecosystem of Sutjeska National Park. Concerns over outdated permits and environmental impacts have sparked protests urging authorities to halt these destructive activities. Join the fight!