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What we do

Working groups

Shape the future of hydropower

As an IHA member, you get a seat at the table where the sector's biggest challenges are being addressed.

Our Working Groups bring together leading experts and practitioners from across the hydropower industry. They turn shared knowledge into practical, evidence-based solutions.

The Working Groups and Task Forces are exclusive to IHA Members

The Working groups are exclusive benefit of IHA membership.
Find out more about how to become an IHA member

Working groups

Where there are issues of concern to the whole industry, IHA convenes groups of member representatives to agree our positions and provide a sounding board for staff.

Policy committee

The Policy Committee is a sub-committee of the IHA Board. It ensures that positions taken are supported by the membership and publications reflect the extant evidence.

Policy frameworks

IHA organises its policy work around five themes of Energy, Water, Climate, Money and People. We aim to identify and eliminate barriers to developing sustainable hydropower so that it provides its necessary contribution to a net zero world.

Thematic working groups

Communications
and Advocacy

Connect with communications and marketing professionals across the sector. Share expertise, build your network, and raise the voice of sustainable hydropower.

JOIN TO: collaborate with peers shaping the sector's shared narrative.
Working group lead:
Victoria Cardenas
Enquire now

Reservoir
Emissions

Help shape the industry's position on reservoir emissions and contribute to practical guidelines for meeting the GHG Protocol Land Sector and Removals Standard.

JOIN TO: have a direct say in guidelines currently under development.
Working group lead:
Debbie Gray
Enquire now

Hydropower Sustainability Industry Chamber

Advocate for environmentally responsible, socially beneficial hydropower development. As part of the Hydropower Sustainability Alliance's governance structure, the Chamber shapes the Hydropower Sustainability Standard itself.

*Open to IHA and non-IHA members.

JOIN TO: play a key role in the Standard's formal 2026 review.
Working group lead:
Margarita Shumskaya
Enquire now

Modernisation

Share best practices, case studies, and solutions to the barriers facing hydropower modernisation. Your insights feed directly into IHA's policy and advocacy work that will be aimed to policymakers and financiers.
‍
JOIN TO: guide the work that directly shapes IHA's policy and advocacy work.
Working group lead:
Debbie Gray
Enquire now

Pumped Storage

Help tackle the barriers standing in the way of pumped storage development worldwide. This group serves as the knowledge hub for the Global Alliance on Pumped Storage (GAPS), shaping the global IHA narrative.

JOIN TO: be part of the only global collaborative network on pumped storage.
Working group lead:
Rebbeca Ellis
Enquire now

We Can #WithHydropower

The 'We can, with hydropower' public information campaign highlights the many benefits that hydropower provides to industry and society when developed responsibly and sustainably.

Campaign key messages:

With hydropower, we can...
  1. Keep the lights on with green energy
  2. Provide affordable energy for generations
  3. Store wind and solar energy in water
  4. Decarbonise industries with clean energy
  5. Protect communities from floods and droughts
  6. Develop renewable energy sustainably
Follow the conversation at #WithHydropower

Hydropower Sustainability Industry Chamber

a global network of ESG professionals established to promote collaboration, advocacy and sustainable practices within the hydropower industry. The Chamber members also provide the industry oversight of the governance of the HydropowerSustainability Alliance, including shaping any revisions to the HS Standard. The Chamber meets quarterly and brings together IHA membership's Heads of ESG/Sustainability (or the equivalent).To join the Chamber, please complete this online application form. When answering question 8, ‘Chamber applied for’, please select ‘A. Industry Chamber’.  

Communication and Advocacy Taskforce

Our members work together through the IHA's Communications Advocacy Taskforce, bringing together communications and engagement representatives from across the hydropower sector to collaborate on cross-sector campaign work. If you are a member of IHA and working in the communications, marketing or engagement team, join us! Email: victoria.cardenas@hydropower.org

How we work

Good practice

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Policy

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Research

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Networking

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Training

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Recognition

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Regional offices

Hydropower's opportunities and challenges vary from market to market, shaped by local policy, regulation and resource potential. IHA's Regional Taskforces bring members together in the countries and regions where they operate, creating a unified voice to engage with governments and policymakers on the issues that matter most locally. From accelerating pumped storage development to strengthening national and regional policy frameworks, these Taskforces turn shared technical expertise into practical, targeted advocacy.

Australia

Join the Australian members of IHA working together to support the development of sustainable hydropower and pumped storage across the country. With a strong project pipeline and growing government recognition of long-duration storage, the Taskforce works directly with policymakers in Canberra and key states to align market and regulatory frameworks with the investment case for pumped storage — helping accelerate delivery and Australia's energy transition.
Join to: help shape the policy and market frameworks that will unlock Australia's pumped storage potential.
‍
Join to: help shape the policy and market frameworks that will unlock Australia's pumped storage potential.
Contact Pablo Valverde

Brazil

Brazil holds some of the world's largest pumped storage potential, but regulation hasn't kept pace — and with renewables now over 88% of the electricity mix, long-duration storage is critical to the country's energy security. The Brazil Taskforce unites IHA members and sector stakeholders into a single voice, working with policymakers in Brasília to turn technical expertise into real policy recommendations on regulatory certainty, remuneration, licensing, and water rights.
‍
Join to: be part of a unified industry voice tackling Brazil's key barriers to pumped storage development.
Contact Angela Livino

Europe

Hydropower sits at the heart of Europe's energy system, providing the flexibility and stability the grid depends on. As EU policy grows more complex, the Europe Task Force brings IHA's European members together to build a common voice and strengthen engagement with EU institutions — backed by representation across the full hydropower value chain for real credibility and technical depth. Members meet regularly in hybrid format to shape policy papers, join roundtables with policymakers, and coordinate national-level advocacy.
‍
Join to: align with peers across the value chain and help steer EU hydropower policy from the inside.
Contact Marta Bottini

India

The India Taskforce is the representative voice of India's hydropower sector — driving policy advocacy, knowledge exchange, and international collaboration. It supports capacity building and puts India's hydropower fraternity on the map at global forums.
Join to: connect India's hydropower community with the global stage and help shape sector-wide advocacy.
Contact Khyati Gupta
To get in touch with the Regional Team, please contact the following regional leads

Australia

Join the Australian members of IHA working together to support the development of sustainable hydropower and pumped storage across the country. With a strong project pipeline and growing government recognition of long-duration storage, the Taskforce works directly with policymakers in Canberra and key states to align market and regulatory frameworks with the investment case for pumped storage — helping accelerate delivery and Australia's energy transition.
Join to: help shape the policy and market frameworks that will unlock Australia's pumped storage potential.
Contact Pablo Valverde

Brazil

Brazil holds some of the world's largest pumped storage potential, but regulation hasn't kept pace — and with renewables now over 88% of the electricity mix, long-duration storage is critical to the country's energy security. The Brazil Taskforce unites IHA members and sector stakeholders into a single voice, working with policymakers in Brasília to turn technical expertise into real policy recommendations on regulatory certainty, remuneration, licensing, and water rights.
Join to: be part of a unified industry voice tackling Brazil's key barriers to pumped storage development.
Contact Angela Livino

Europe

Hydropower sits at the heart of Europe's energy system, providing the flexibility and stability the grid depends on. As EU policy grows more complex, the Europe Task Force brings IHA's European members together to build a common voice and strengthen engagement with EU institutions — backed by representation across the full hydropower value chain for real credibility and technical depth. Members meet regularly in hybrid format to shape policy papers, join roundtables with policymakers, and coordinate national-level advocacy.
Join to: align with peers across the value chain and help steer EU hydropower policy from the inside.
Contact Marta Bottini

India

The India Taskforce is the representative voice of India's hydropower sector — driving policy advocacy, knowledge exchange, and international collaboration. It supports capacity building and puts India's hydropower fraternity on the map at global forums.
Join to: connect India's hydropower community with the global stage and help shape sector-wide advocacy.
Contact Khyati Gupta

Study tours and regional exchanges

We Can #WithHydropower

The 'We can, with hydropower' public information campaign highlights the many benefits that hydropower provides to industry and society when developed responsibly and sustainably.

Campaign key messages:

With hydropower, we can...
  1. Keep the lights on with green energy
  2. Provide affordable energy for generations
  3. Store wind and solar energy in water
  4. Decarbonise industries with clean energy
  5. Protect communities from floods and droughts
  6. Develop renewable energy sustainably
Follow the conversation at #WithHydropower
IHA hosts study tours and regional exchanges across theglobe. These allow companies to learn from hydropower projects, practices, andpolicies worldwide. The latest innovations, hydropower technologies, sustainabilitypractices, and interregional collaboration, are showcased through IHA’s studytours. These allow IHA members and partners to stay up to date with sustainablehydropower. Learn about all the things we can do #WithHydropower
Contact: Name

Communication and Advocacy Taskforce

Our members work together through the IHA's Communications Advocacy Taskforce, bringing together communications and engagement representatives from across the hydropower sector to collaborate on cross-sector campaign work. If you are a member of IHA and working in the communications, marketing or engagement team, join us! Email: victoria.cardenas@hydropower.org

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