The event was sponsored by Global Water Partnership China (GWP China), the China Institute of Water Resources and Hydropower Research (IWHR), and Power China Chengdu Engineering Co., Ltd., with collaborative support from various institutions such as the International Network on Small Hydro Power (INSHP), the International Center on Small Hydro Power (ICSHP), State Grid Sichuan Electric Power Research Institute, Nanjing NARI Resources and Hydropower TechnologyCo., Ltd., Sichuan Water Development Investigation, Design & Research Co., Ltd., and Sichuan University. Over 50 experts and scholars from governmental bodies, research institutions, enterprises, and international organizations participated.
Invited Speakers
During the meeting, participants emphasized that global climate change and human activities have intensified challenges like water scarcity, pollution, and ecological degradation, posing significant threats to human survival and development. It was urgently highlighted that traditional hydropower development models must undergo reform to mitigate their adverse impacts on water resources management and watershed ecosystems.
Ding Liuqian, Vice President, IWHR
Ding Liuqian, Vice President of IWHR, underscored the mutual reliance between integrated water resources management (IWRM) and green hydropower development, emphasizing the necessity for scientific regulation of hydropower projects and the inclusion of ecological considerations in green hydropower planning.
Huang Yan, Managing Director of ICSHP, acknowledged hydropower's strategic importance in global energy systems during the green transition but noted the challenges of balancing ecological security with water management objectives.
Ning Jie, CFO of Power China Chengdu Engineering Corporation Limited, reviewed the institute's six-decade legacy of designing landmark projects on major rivers, significantly advancing clean energy development in western China.
Wang Hao, GWP China Regional TEC Chair
Wang Hao, Academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering and Chair of the GWP China Regional Tech Committee, proposed a "cascade hydropower-wind-solar complementary" model to optimize clean energy integration and reduce carbon emissions through coordinated water-energy management.
Eight experts presented reports covering topics including distributed PV-hydropower hybrid systems, SDG6 monitoring, rural hydropower revitalization, China-U.S. dam design standards, and transboundary water-energy nexus analysis. These included:
You Jinjun, GWP China Regional TEC Member
- Report 1: Technical Research and Application Demonstration for Complementary Combined Power Generation of Distributed PV and Cascaded Small Hydropower by Shan Pengzhu, Technical Expert/Professor Level Senior Engineer at NARI Group Co.
- Report 2: SDG 6 Monitoring to Inform Decision Making on Water Allocations by Colin Herron, Senior Water Resources Management Specialist at Water Solutions for the SDGs, Global Water Partnership.
- Report 3: Assessment of SDG6.5.1 Implementation in China and Probing in County-Level Application by You Jinjun, Professor at the China Institute of Water Resources and Hydropower Research and TEC Member at Global Water Partnership China.
- Report 4: Promotion on Green Development of Small Hydropower and Support to Rural Revitalization by Chu Shiji, Deputy Division Chief of China Affairs Division at the International Center on Small Hydro Power.
- Report 5: International Practice of Green Development and River Restoration by Imran Haider Shamsi, Professor/Doctoral Supervisor at Zhejiang University.
- Report 6: Comparison Between Arch Dams Design Standards of China and the United States by Xue Lijun, Doctor of Engineering at Power China Chengdu Engineering Co., Ltd.
- Report 7: Aligning Hydropower and IWRM: A Systems Approach to Southeast Asia’s Water-Energy Nexus by Raymond Valiant, Regional Coordinator at Global Water Partnership Southeast Asia.
- Report 8: Research Project: Research on the Water-Saving Index in the Yellow River Basin by Liu En, Dr. at Yellow River Institute of Hydraulic Research.
Raymond Valiant, GWP SEA Regional Coordinator
The International Small Hydropower Association unveiled the bilingual (Chinese-English) technical specification, Control System Requirements for Small Hydropower and Renewable Energy Hybrid Systems, marking its first group standard aligned with ISO/TC339. This document aims to facilitate the international standardization of Chinese hydropower technologies.
Experts, including Huang Xiaorong, Liu Changsheng, Teng Yufei, and Jia Yangwen, stressed the urgency of aligning hydropower development with sustainable water management principles, ensuring a balance between energy production, ecological conservation, and efficient resource utilization.
Jia Yangwen, GWP China Regional TEC Vice Chair/Regional Coordinator
In his closing remarks, Jia Yangwen, Vice Chair of the GWP China Regional Tech Committee, noted that Chengdu's hosting of the event, after 25 years, reflects China's growing global influence in green hydropower. He emphasized the seminar's significance in promoting a shift from "supply-demand-driven" to "water-sensitive" development models, fostering international collaboration within Sichuan's hydropower sector.
Panel Discussion
The ICOLD Congress, held from May 16 to 23, 2025, co-hosted by China's Ministry of Water Resources, the Sichuan Provincial Government, and ICOLD, featured this seminar as a pivotal platform for sharing innovations in water-energy synergies to tackle climate challenges and advance sustainable development.