NEWSLETTER #12 _ June 2026

Dear Reader,

As the Hydro4U project approaches its final phase, one message becomes increasingly clear: sustainable hydropower is not only about generating renewable energy, but about building long-term resilience for communities, ecosystems, and economies across Central Asia. Recent months have marked an important transition from demonstrating innovative solutions in Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan to ensuring that knowledge, tools, and lessons learned can benefit the wider region.

This edition highlights how Hydro4U is turning project results into lasting impact. From exploring climate-resilient hydropower pathways and future water availability in the Amu Darya and Syr Darya basins to identifying new development opportunities and showcasing practical solution sheets, the project continues to support evidence-based decision-making for a sustainable energy future.

We also invite you to discover newly enhanced resources on the Hydro4U website, including planning activities, support tools, and educational materials designed to help stakeholders replicate and build upon project achievements. As we move from implementation toward impact, we look forward to continuing the dialogue with policymakers, researchers, industry representatives, and local communities working towards sustainable hydropower development in Central Asia.

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We hope you enjoy reading!

Moritz Roth
Hydro4U Coordination Team
Technical University of Munich
Chair of Hydraulic and Water Resources Engineering

Authors: Steinbeis

Since December 2025, the Hydro4U project has made significant progress in advancing sustainable small-scale hydropower solutions across Central Asia. Building on achievements at demonstration sites in Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan, recent activities highlight a strong focus toward knowledge transfer, regional engagement, and the consolidation of project results.

A main area of progress is the increasing dissemination of technical and strategic insights through a series of blog articles and events. In early 2026, Hydro4U partners presented tangible impacts of their solutions, demonstrating how innovative hydropower technologies can support climate-resilient energy systems. These contributions underline the project’s role in aligning hydropower development with environmental sustainability and the broader Water–Energy–Food–Climate nexus. 

In parallel, several knowledge-oriented publications have explored hydropower potential and planning approaches in Central Asia. Topics such as sustainable hydropower pathways, new development opportunities, and the resilience of river basins under changing precipitation patterns have been addressed in detail. These outputs reflect a growing emphasis on data-driven planning and long-term resource management in the region.

Some new subpages on the Hydro4U website have been updated such as:

- Planning activities - Hydro4U

- Hydro4U Support Tools - Hydro4U

- Educational Material - Hydro4U

Altogether, the progress since December 2025 illustrates Hydro4U’s transition from implementation toward impact.

Precipitation futures and Hydropower resilience in the Amu Darya and Syr Darya Basins

In Central Asia, the Amu Darya and Syr Darya are more than rivers: they are the operating backbone of water security, agricultural production, reservoir management and hydropower (HP) generation across the Aral Sea Basin. Within the Hydro4U project, CARTIF has developed a system dynamics model to assess Water–Energy–Food (WEF) Nexus interactions

From Maps to Rivers: Sustainable Hydropower Pathways for Central Asia

By 2050, electricity demand in Central Asia could more than double. Ambitious hydropower plans are emerging, but the real challenge is designing projects that balance energy needs with ecosystem integrity and geohazard risks. Until now there has been no consistent, region‑wide view of where hydropower can be expanded without unacceptable ecological costs or undue exposure to geophysical risk.

Hydro4U explores new Hydropower Opportunities in Central Asia

The EU funded Hydro4U project is carrying out planning activities to assess future hydropower opportunities in Central Asia. Building on demonstrated small hydropower plants in Uzbekistan and the Kyrgyz Republic, the Hydro4U experts have examined additional sites in Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and Tajikistan to support the wider use of small and medium scale hydropower in the region.

Hydro4U Solutions presented Tangible Impact for Sustainable Hydropower Development

The Hydro4U project demonstrates how innovative technical solutions, digital tools, and governance approaches can make small-scale hydropower a sustainable, economically viable, and socially accepted renewable energy source. The project results are now summarised on various solution sheets. They showcase concrete outputs that directly contribute to Hydro4U’s overarching impacts.

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. 

LIFE NEXUS shares final project report

The LIFE NEXUS project proposed an advancement by viewing water distribution networks as a source of renewable energy. Therefore, within the project, a mini hydropower plant was implemented at the drinking water treatment plant in León (Spain), using a Pump as Turbine (PaT) system and battery storage.

• Hydropower Day, 8 September 2026, Brussels, Belgium
• Hydro 2026, 14 - 16 October 2026, Bologna, Italy
• Innovation Week: EU-CA Innovation Forum, 28 October 2026, Tashkent, Uzbekistan
• Vienna Hydro 2026, 18 - 20 November 2026, Vienna, Austria

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