INSPIRE - Inventory of existing hydropower plants in Wallonia (BE)

The data layer of hydropower plants corresponds to a survey of existing hydropower plants in Wallonia. The data is presented here in its INSPIRE compliant version. This inventory is made for the attention of watercourse managers (Public Service of Wallonia, Provincial Services, Municipal Services, etc.) and all other persons wishing to know the sites equipped with hydroelectric power plants in operation known by the Walloon Region. This inventory work is based on a summary table of hydroelectric stations provided by the CWAPE (Wallonia Energy Commission). This table is also supplemented by the information received by all the external services of the Directorate for Non-navigable Watercourses, by the Operational Directorate-General for Mobility and Waterways, by the provincial managers and by any other body or person concerned by the hydroelectric operation. The free movement of fish is a requirement of the Water Framework Directive (WFD), the Benelux Decision and the European Eel Regulation; However, the presence of major and/or impassable obstacles downstream of a watercourse very often makes it impossible for fish to access the upper reaches of the watercourse or its tributaries, but also, during the run-off, to generate mortalities or injuries when fish pass through the turbines. This sometimes results in a failure to achieve the environmental objectives required by Europe. Moreover, according to the Decree of 4 October 2018, amending various texts as regards watercourses, it is now prohibited to create any new obstacle without providing for a solution guaranteeing free movement. As a result, the Directorate for Non-navigable Watercourses carries out a survey of the hydroelectric power stations in operation. The presence and development of hydroelectricity in watercourses may constitute obstacles to the free movement of fish both upstream and downstream; it is therefore a problem that must be taken into account for the achievement of good ecological status of watercourses and for the maintenance of biodiversity. Hydropower, because it is environmentally friendly, is one of the solutions to the problem of global warming because it is considered to have no effect on the environment; however, the impact on aquatic ecosystems is demonstrated both by the fact that it constitutes obstacles to the free movement of fish and by its action on biodiversity. This inventory therefore helps to define the ecological impact of each hydroelectric station in order to determine on a case-by-case basis the appropriate arrangements that will promote the free movement of fish but also improve the ecological quality of the aquatic environment. This layer is an inventory, a photograph of the current situation, which is brought to evolve and be updated. The Directorate of Non-navigable Watercourses is dependent on the quality of the information provided to it by third parties and cannot guarantee the complete accuracy of the information provided.