Hydropower for a Resilient, Secure and Competitive Europe

ETIP HYDROPOWER and EERA launch joint FP10 position paper

ETIP HYDROPOWER and the EERA Joint Programme Hydropower have jointly released a new position paper calling for stronger recognition of hydropower in the next EU Framework Programme (FP10) and for the establishment of a dedicated SET Plan Implementation Working Group on Hydropower 

Titled “Hydropower for a Resilient, Secure, and Competitive Europe”, the paper underlines that achieving Europe’s objectives on industrial competitiveness, sovereignty and security of supply requires increased dispatchable, domestically anchored clean electricity capacity — a role that hydropower is uniquely equipped to fulfil.

A strategic asset for Europe’s energy system

As electrification accelerates and variable renewables expand, Europe’s power system requires more flexibility and long-duration storage. Hydropower — including reservoir, run-of-river and pumped-storage — is the only proven large-scale technology capable of providing balancing services from milliseconds to seasonal storage.

Today, hydropower accounts for 16% of EU electricity consumption, while pumped-storage hydropower provides around 46 GW of flexible capacity across Europe. Multiple analyses indicate that storage capacity will need to at least double by 2050 to ensure system stability in a climate-neutral energy system.

Beyond flexibility, the paper highlights hydropower’s integrated contribution to:

• Strategic autonomy and industrial competitiveness
• Affordable and stable electricity prices
• Climate neutrality and low lifecycle emissions
• Water resilience and climate adaptation
• Environmental protection and biodiversity
• Addressing the funding gap

Despite its system-wide value, hydropower has historically received limited EU research and innovation support. Between 1995 and 2015, it represented only 1% of total renewable energy R&I funding under EU Framework Programmes.

The joint paper therefore calls for:

• A targeted increase in hydropower funding under FP10;
• Stronger coordination of research, innovation and industrial deployment through a dedicated SET Plan Implementation Working Group on Hydropower 

The document also sets out ten priority research and innovation areas covering climate adaptation, pumped-storage expansion, digitalisation, environmental performance, manufacturing innovation, market design and GHG accounting.

With FP10 discussions underway, ETIP HYDROPOWER and EERA emphasise that hydropower is a Made-in-Europe technology that strengthens energy security, competitiveness and resilience. Ensuring its full integration into Europe’s research and innovation agenda is essential for a secure and decarbonised power system.

Read the full position paper here