Hydropower projects on Balkan Rivers: 2020 Update

Every two years, we analyse the situation of hydropower development in the Balkans, updating the data of existing and planned hydropower plants as well as those currently under construction. Moreover, we assess how many of these projects are located in protected areas.

Since the last update of this kind in 2018, another 300 HPPs came into operation, leaving hundreds of kilometres of rivers and streams devastated. The vast majority (92%) of them are small-scale dams. Currently, 3,431 hydropower plants (HPPs) are planned, 108 under construction and 1,480 are operational in the Balkans. 45% of planned or constructed HPPs are located withing protected areas.

The good news: less projects are entering the implementation phase. The number of HPPs under construction is decreasing continuously since its peak in 2017. This is a sustainable trend reversal, which we attribute to our continuous work on the topic.

Hydropower projects on Balkan Rivers: 2020 Update