NEWSLETTER #10 _ July 2025

Dear Reader,

Summer is here and we are happy to share our latest updates, insights and upcoming activities with you in this July edition of the Hydro4U Newsletter.

We are happy to conclued the successful first construction phase of the Hydroshaft Power Solution (HSPS) plant in At-Bashy, Kyrgyzstan, marking a major milestone for sustainable hydropower in the region, despite tough site conditions and technical challenges in a remote mountainous location.

This edition includes highlights from the EU ambassadors visit to Shakimardan in April 2025 to gain deeper insights into water management challenges and explore opportunities made possible by EU-funded initiatives, ecological assessments, and new hydropower technologies, contributing to climate resilience, regional cooperation, and smarter water management.

Beyond this, the WaterWiseEU campaign further highlights Hydro4U’s efforts to support cross-border cooperation and climate-resilient technologies that ease upstream-downstream tensions. In Shakimardan, field teams assessed the impact of newly implemented fish passes, while researchers gathered data on river biodiversity.

In addition, project partner Global Hydro has developed an innovative, fully integrated containerized hydropower system as a practical solution for delivering clean energy to remote areas, namely the Francis Turbine in a Container.

As the Hydro4U project progresses, through factsheets and webinars we are able to share technical insights and solutions with a broader audience while also growing collaboration with projects like TU-NEXUS and SECCA, strengthening regional ties and exchanging ongoing developments within the field of Hydropower.

For more information on upcoming conferences and exhibitions on water management and smart solutions, please have a look at our events section.

If you have received this newsletter by a project partner, please subscribe here, so you don't miss future editions of this newsletter that are published three times per year.

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We hope you enjoy reading!

Bertalan Alapfy
Hydro4U Coordinator
Technical University of Munich
Chair of Hydraulic and Water Resources Engineering

Authors: Gabriel Pojer, ILF and Bertalan Alapfy, TUM

The construction of the Hydroshaft Power Solution (HSPS) demonstration plant in At‑Bashy, Kyrgyzstan, which started in August 2024, is marking a major milestone for sustainable hydropower in the region. As part of the joint project Hydro4U, ILF Consulting Engineers was commissioned with the detailed design and construction supervision of the hydropower plant. The Kyrgyz construction company Orion implemented the project. In spite of tough site conditions and technical challenges in a remote mountainous location, the project has now successfully completed the first phase of construction.

Key structural elements, including foundation slabs and vertical walls, are now in place. The joint efforts of ILF Austria and ILF Kazakhstan, alongside contributions from the Technical University of Munich (TUM), ensured close project supervision, flexible problem-solving, and adaptive design revisions throughout the process.

After a scheduled winter break in December 2024, construction is set to be continued in August 2025, with the installation of hydraulic steel structures, the turbine unit, and the remaining infrastructure. The project continues to be a symbol of durability, innovation, and strong international collaboration.

EU Ambassadors Visit the Hydro4U Demonstration Site in Shakimardan, Uszbekistan

On 29–30 April 2025, a delegation of 13 Ambassadors and representatives from the embassies of European Union Member States accredited in Uzbekistan participated in an annual joint study trip, this year focused on the Fergana Valley. The visit aimed to gain deeper insight into water management challenges and explore opportunities made possible by EU-funded initiatives.

WaterWiseEU campaign: Small Streams, Big Possibilities for Central Asia

By encouraging collaborative management of shared water resources and implementing climate-resilient technologies, the Hydro4U project not only alleviates tensions between upstream and downstream countries but also supports sustainable water management practices that can adapt to future climate variability. 

Insights from a recent field trip to Shakimardan assessing the efficacy of the downstream fish pass

Shakimardan was a busy place between the 24th of March and the 4th of April. Project partners from various research groups stayed in the exclave to conduct impact assessment studies of the vertical slot fish pass and downstream bypass. In addition, various stretches of the rivers Koksu, Aksu and Shakimardan were electro fished to get a better understanding of the fish density and population structure in the river basin.

Small Hydropower in a Container

In the evolving world of renewable energy, small hydropower is gaining recognition as a crucial technology for decentralized, sustainable electricity generation, especially in remote or rural areas. Hydropower projects often face major obstacles: high civil engineering costs, long project timelines, and complex permitting processes.

Hydro4U progress towards objectives

Central Asia has huge hydropower potential, especially in the upstream regions, but outdated infrastructure and water scarcity, exacerbated by climate change, are hampering the development. The Hydro4U project addresses these challenges by introducing modular, innovative small hydropower technologies tailored for remote areas. These solutions, which are cost-effective, sustainable, and comply with EU environmental standards, aim to transform hydropower in the region.

ETIP Hydropower EU Webinar Showcases Innovative Hydropower Projects

On 14 May 2025, the ETIP HYDROPOWER cluster hosted a webinar session within its “Boosting Hydropower” webinar series, spotlighting three EU-funded research initiatives: HYDRO4U, ALPHEUS, and HYPOS. The event highlighted technological and strategic advancements aimed at enhancing sustainable hydropower across Europe and beyond.

Hydro4U shares a series of Solution Factsheets

We are happy to share a series of concise, two-page Solution Factsheets showcasing exploitable results developed within Hydro4U. Each factsheet aims at highlighting key features, benefits and applications of the solutions, offering valuable insights into the work conducted so far.

Throughout the course of this year, we have welcomed a few more projects, clusters and initiatives into our existing network and are in constant exchange on developments and potential joint activities. 

Integrating Water and Energy Modelling for Sustainable Solutions in Central Asia – TU-NEXUS Project

As water scarcity, glacier retreat, and climate change reshape resource management in Central Asia, the integration of water and energy systems modelling becomes essential. The TU-NEXUS project addresses these complex interdependencies by developing tools to analyse the Climate-Land-Energy-Water (CLEW) nexus in transboundary basins like the Amu Darya and Zeravshan.

SECCA Unveils a Photo Exhibition on Sustainable Energy Cooperation in Astana

On 1 June 2025, at EuroFest 2025, the European Union (EU) funded SECCA project unveiled the photo exhibition titled “The European Union – Central Asia: Faces of Sustainable Energy Development Cooperation”, as part of the EU–Kazakhstan Sustainable Energy Days, celebrating the human faces of sustainable energy cooperation between the EU and the Central Asian countries.

• Summer School 2025, 4 – 17 August 2025, Bishkek, Kyrgyz Republic
• 3rd International Conference on Sustainability in Hydropower, 2 – 5 September 2025, Vienna, Austria
• HydroES 2025 Symposium on Hydropower and Environmental Sustainability, 17 – 18 September 2025, Grenoble, France
• HYDRO 2025, 22 –  24 October 2025, Thessaloniki, Greece

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