The examples featured below have been compiled by the International Hydropower Association (IHA) from publicly available sustainability reports.

Hydropower is the backbone of a clean, secure and reliable energy for billions of people around the world. It keeps the lights on, stabilises grids and quietly underpins the global shift away from fossil fuels.

But the companies building and operating this infrastructure are doing far more than generating electricity.

Across every continent, hydropower developers, operators, and their industry partners are investing in the communities around them. They are restoring ecosystems, protecting endangered wildlife, advancing education, and standing up for the health and dignity of the people who live and work in the regions they serve. These efforts have nothing to do with megawatts and everything to do with what it means to be a responsible, long-term presence in a place.

Behind each initiative below is a company that has chosen to go beyond core business. The examples below have been compiled from some of our members’ sustainability reports to offer a snapshot of the wider work the organisations have done to positively impact the communities in which they operate. This article should not be interpreted as verification of these activities.

AECOM’s journey to Indigenous reconciliation (Canada)

AECOM, a global leader in infrastructure consulting, has achieved Bronze Level Certification in the Partnership Accreditation in Indigenous Relations (PAIR) program, administered by the Canadian Council for Indigenous Business (CCIB).This milestone reflects AECOM’s commitment to advancing reconciliation through measurable action that delivers lasting value for Indigenous communities and clients.

Across Canada, AECOM integrates Indigenous engagement into project delivery — aligning with community priorities, enabling economic participation, and incorporating Indigenous Knowledge to strengthen outcomes. This approach helps clients navigate complex regulatory and stakeholder environments while building trust and reducing risk.

Over the past six years, AECOM has established a national foundation to support this work, including dedicated governance, leadership roles, and programs that expand participation across a project's lifecycle. Initiatives such as the Blooming Program and national procurement efforts connect Indigenous talent and businesses to project opportunities.

In 2024, AECOM launched an Indigenous Investment Fund to support community-led initiatives, capacity building, and long-term economic participation aligned with infrastructure projects.

PAIR certification marks an important milestone, reinforcing AECOM’s approach to co-creating solutions that honour Indigenous rights, support self-determination, and deliver shared value for communities and clients, now and for future generations.

Source: Achieves Bronze Certification in Canada’s PAIR Program for Indigenous Relations

Bechtel is confronting construction's silent crisis (United States)

The construction industry has one of the highest suicide rates of any sector in the country and Bechtel is confronting this. The company launched a five-year, $7 million partnership with the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention (AFSP), the largest single pledge in the foundation's history, with a goal of reaching 500,000 construction workers. Alongside fellow construction CEOs and North American building trades union leaders, Bechtel helped establish a CEO Advisory Council dedicated to developing industry-wide solutions.

The impact was visible during Construction Suicide Prevention Week, when more than 14,000 Bechtel colleagues across 50+ projects in 11 countries stopped work for a global stand-down and moment of silence to reflect and reaffirm that every worker's wellbeing matters.

Source: Bechtel: Investing in People & Communities

China Three Gorges (CTG) took 20 years to see a tree bloom (China)

A remarkable conservation story is flowering at the Three Gorges Dam this spring.

The dove tree, a rare and ancient species often called the "panda of the plant kingdom," has bloomed along the dam site for the first time in decades. Naturally found above 1,500 metres, the fragile species faced enormous conservation challenges.

It took nearly 20 years to get here. Following a rescue mission in 2007, researchers from CTG acclimatised the trees through a gradual, patient process, spanning years. The large-scale bloom this April is the payoff: proof that the dove tree has not only survived outside its natural elevation range but has now crossed the threshold from introduction to reproduction.

It is a historic leap for a species that needed help to endure. Infrastructure and ecological stewardship can, with enough care and commitment, go hand in hand.

Source: CTG News: Dove Tree Conservation

EPM is improving communities (Colombia)

Today, EPM’s Hidroituango project, which has been certified silver against the Hydropower Sustainability Standard, contributes approximately 8% of Colombia's national energy supply, making it a cornerstone of the country's long-term energy security and its transition toward cleaner, more reliable power generation.

Yet the true measure of the project's success extends well beyond megawatts generated. Hidroituango has been a catalyst for meaningful, lasting social transformation across the surrounding region. More than 6,000 families across 16 municipalities have directly benefited from associated social and environmental investment, through the construction and upgrading of roads, schools, and housing, as well as over 500 productive community projects designed to create economic opportunity and improve quality of life at a local level.

The project has also made a significant environmental commitment, with more than 24,000 hectares of tropical forest now under active protection as part of the initiative.

Source: EPM: 70 Years of Sustainable Development

ENGIE is regenerating farmland (Brazil)

In the region surrounding the Passo Fundo hydroelectric plant in Brazil, ENGIE Brasil Energia has launched Regenera+, a collaboration with Sebrae RS to help local farmers produce more sustainably, at lower cost, and with a smaller carbon footprint.

The programme brought together 17 rural producers alongside more than 10 specialists in agronomy, biology, ecology, and the humanities to develop tailored action plans built around 20 socio-environmental requirements. The aim: to strengthen the long-term resilience of rural properties while reducing both production costs and carbon emissions.

The early results are heartening. In its first year, Regenera+ delivered a 32% reduction in cereal production costs across more than 530 hectares. More strikingly, the participating properties collectively absorbed more carbon than they emitted. This meant they recorded a net balance of over 1,000 tonnes of CO2 absorbed. Farmers also applied more than 16,000 litres of organic syrups produced on the estates themselves, reducing dependence on external inputs.

By the second year, half of the socio-environmental indicators being tracked had already improved, and nearly a third of participating estates had invested in new equipment to support the shift toward organic practices.

Source: Protecting Biodiversity - ENGIE

Greenko Group is protecting five species across five states (India)

Greenko Group has made biodiversity conservation a core part of its renewable energy operations, running active programmes to protect some of India's most endangered and iconic species across multiple states.

At Rollapadu Wildlife Sanctuary in Andhra Pradesh, Greenko is working with state forest authorities to protect the critically endangered Great Indian Bustard, one of the world's heaviest flying birds and a species on the brink of extinction. The programme combines habitat restoration, grassland management, community awareness, and ecotourism development to create a sustainable future for the species.

In partnership with WWF-India, the company is protecting Olive Ridley turtles along the coasts of Andhra Pradesh, by working directly with fishing communities to reduce the threat of ghost fishing nets across three coastal states.

In Madhya Pradesh, Greenko is supporting the reintroduction of the Cheetah at Gandhisagar Wildlife Sanctuary, contributing to one of India's most ambitious wildlife recovery efforts, while also initiating a separate conservation programme for the Lesser Florican, a critically endangered grassland bird.

In Karnataka, the company is actively improving hyena habitat in the Gokak Forest Division, while in Sikkim, Greenko is initiating Red Panda breeding and habitat recovery at the Himalayan Zoological Park to safeguard this species for future generations.

Source: Greenko Group: Environmental Initiatives

Hydro-Québec is turning power lines into wildlife corridors (Canada)

Hydro-Québec manages around 34,000 kilometres of high-voltage transmission lines and is turning their expansive reach into an opportunity for ecological restoration.

A flagship project in Drummondville restores wetlands and introduces targeted vegetation within transmission strips to reconnect fragmented forest habitats into “wildlife corridors,” while also integrating public pathways, making these corridors useful for both nature and local communities.

The company has also adapted its infrastructure design to protect vulnerable species. Along the Micoua–Saguenay powerline, conductors were raised above the forest canopy to retain the natural vegetation beneath. Specifically, this was done to preserve habitat for the boreal woodland caribou, a species listed as threatened under Canada's Species at Risk Act.

Source: Hydro-Québec: Sustainable Development

Iberdrola is powering women's sports (Spain)

Since 2016, Iberdrola has treated sports sponsorship as one of the company's most deliberate instruments for gender equality and female empowerment.

Iberdrola now supports 35 national sports federations, reaching over 820,000 female athletes (roughly two in every three federated sportswomen in Spain). Since the company stepped in, the number of federated sports licences across the disciplines it backs has grown by around 40%, spanning more than 100 competitions from elite national divisions down to youth categories. And the model has travelled: through ScottishPower, it backs women's football in the UK; through Neoenergia, it is a major supporter of the Brazilian Olympic Committee and women's football teams.

In football, Iberdrola's influence has been particularly visible. The company is a primary partner of Spain's national women's team (the side that lifted the 2023 World Cup) and sponsors major domestic competitions including the Copa de la Reina and the Iberdrola Super Cup. Beyond the trophies, its investment has helped fund the structural professionalisation of the women's game: better medical support, improved training facilities, and meaningfully greater television exposure.

Off the pitch, the Iberdrola Women Ambassadors programme has assembled nearly 40 elite athletes across multiple sports to champion minority sports and advocate for equal opportunity. The company has also been a partner of the Spanish Paralympic Team through the ADOP Plan since 2005, and its annual Iberdrola Supera Awards distribute €300,000 to grassroots and community projects using sport to drive social inclusion.

Source: Iberdrola – Sport

Serengeti Energy is protecting land and empowering people (Uganda)

Serengeti Energy's work extends well beyond generating clean hydropower. Across Uganda, South Africa, and Malawi, the company is delivering change for both the land and the people who depend on it.

Completed in 2025, Serengeti Energy's five-year Nyamwamba River Watershed restoration project tackled one of the region's most pressing environmental challenges: degraded land threatening water supply and agricultural productivity. Working alongside six host communities within the UNESCO-listed Rwenzori Mountains National Park, the project reduced soil erosion, lowered river sedimentation, and improved groundwater retention. The results were tangible: better water quality, healthier soils, and higher crop yields. This has provided greater food security and increased incomes for farming families in the valley.

Also launched in 2025, Serengeti Energy's menstrual hygiene programme in schools across Uganda's Nyamwamba Valley tackled a barrier that too often goes unaddressed. Limited access to menstrual products was keeping girls out of school. The company responded by running sensitisation sessions across 12 schools, distributing reusable sanitary kits to 1,500 girls, and engaging community and school leaders to chip away at the stigma. This has improved attendance, greater confidence among students, and a broader community conversation about gender equality.

Source: Serengeti Energy Sustainability Report 2025

Snowy Hydro is funding the classrooms that will power Australia (Australia)

Snowy Hydro is investing in the classrooms that will shape Australia's energy future through its Snowy STEM Academy. As Australia transitions toward a cleaner energy grid, the demand for skilled engineers, data scientists, environmental specialists, and technicians has never been greater. Investing in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) education is critical to building the homegrown workforce needed to design, operate, and maintain the infrastructure that will power the nation for decades to come.

The Snowy STEM Academy is designed to bring these disciplines to life for students, connecting classroom learning to the infrastructure that exists in their own backyard. Working alongside educators, the initiative offers schools in the Snowy Monaro, Snowy Valleys, Towong, and Cessnock local government areas the opportunity to apply for up to $10,000 in funding for hands-on, practical STEM learning experiences that build real energy literacy.

Source: Snowy STEM Academy School Fund

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