Project eligibility
All hydropower projects are welcome to be assessed and certified against the Hydropower Sustainability Standard. There are no eligibility restrictions on size, age or location. Hydropower projects that are eligible to be assessed and certified against the HS Standard include:
Run-of-river hydropower
Storage hydropower
Pumped storage hydropower
Multipurpose dams with a hydroelectrical component
Cascades (subject to approval)
Generally, only individual projects, new and existing, are eligible for assessment and certification against the HS Standard. Multipurpose dams can be assessed against the HS Standard if they have a hydroelectrical component. Process aspects on determining eligibility are described in the HS Assurance System under Section 3.1.2.
It is possible for the certification of multiple power stations, which were designed to function in cascade or as a complex, to result from a single assessment. For example, when the power stations are at the same life cycle, have the same owner, and the evaluation of all performance requirements can be achieved through assessment of the same documentation, interviews and site visit for all power stations.
Scope
The HS Standard is used to certify individual projects tailored to the Preparation, Implementation and Operation stages. Certification against the HS Standard recognises performance achievements at that life cycle stage only.
Assessments undertaken reflect a snapshot in time, documenting what Assessors find with respect to the performance requirements of the HS Standard based on the evidence they are able to review at the time of the Assessment. For example, certification of an operating project against the Operation stage requirements does not in any way imply that the preparation or implementation of that project met the Preparation or Implementation stage requirements of the HS Standard.
Should the development of the Project require the developing of associated facilities, these are included within the scope of the HS Assessment and Certification. Associated facilities are defined as those facilities that would not be constructed if the project did not exist, and where the project would not be viable without the other facility on an ongoing basis. These facilities may be funded, owned, constructed, and/or operated separately from the project, and in some cases, by third parties. Examples pertinent to a hydropower project could include roads, transmission lines, buildings, etc. within clear proximity of the hydropower project. Associated facilities should not be confused with primary suppliers, which are those first-tier suppliers who are providing goods or materials essential for project construction, such as an off-site quarry in other ownership. Primary suppliers are specifically considered in some of the performance requirements of the Standard, but are not subject to the full assessment. Scope and proximity need to be clearly documented as part of the Assessment as described in the HS Assurance System under Section 4.
Major refurbishments
Hydropower projects tend to have an extensive lifetime, with many operating facilities having been in service for more than a century. The Preparation stage can provide guidance on important considerations for decisions relating to facility re-optimisation, facility life extension, change in ownership, or decommissioning. Major refurbishments and modernisation exercises for operating hydropower projects are typically assessed using the Preparation Stage and Implementation stage tools. Minor works to increase efficiencies, replace equipment and rectify ageing infrastructure issues could be considered normal asset management practice for operations and normally would not instigate a changed project stage unless causing significant changes for sustainability issues.