Pumped storage hydropower projects have planning and permitting requirements that vary depending on location, necessitating local government support to facilitate smooth developments. Land acquisition and construction may have significant ecological and cultural impacts that would require community engagement to gain social license for projects to move forward.
“You need to have local government coming in with all the bits that are unrelated to digging holes in the ground to pump water through, things like roads, bridges, even housing and education for people’s families. All these things need to come together, which means you need to have community buy-in and say to the local government, this is a priority, we need to make things work,” said Roddy Cormack, Senior Associate at Dentons.
Olivier Tricca, Power Engineer for the European Investment Bank, noted the environmental and social risks of pumped storage hydropower. “Yes, the environmental and social impact of pumped hydro is lower than hydro powerplants, however, this should not be dismissed upfront. It is very important not to underestimate the environmental risk and carbon footprint associated with pumped storage.”
Olivier also spoke on the role of pumped storage hydropower in decarbonisation: “It is a huge risk to overestimate the participation of pumped storage in the decarbonisation of the grid. It has to be proven that pumped storage is needed as part of grid flexibility, of storage strategy and as part of an overall renewable policy involving storage.”
The IHA guidance note recommends using the Hydropower Sustainability Standard to help assess and certify the sustainability of projects, as “the only acceptable pumped storage is sustainable pumped storage.”