A number of members of the Romanian hydroelectric industry have completed an introduction to the International Hydropower Association's Hydropower Sustainability Protocol.

The session, hosted by the University Politehnica of Bucharest, included representatives from Romania's Ministry of Environment and Forests, the Romanian Water National Authority, utility Hidroelectrica SA, the Institute of Hydropower Studies, Hidroconstructia, CEZ Romania and the Romanian Small Hydropower Association.

"This was an excellent opportunity to bring together Romanian hydropower actors to discuss issues of sustainability," says University Politehnica associate professor Bogdan Popa.

The protocol covers three pillars of sustainability defined by IHA as the "social, economic and environmental" effects of a project, amongst numerous other factors. IHA says the protocol is the culmination of the efforts of more than 1,900 people in 28 countries.

IHA says implementation of the protocol within the European Union is supported by Hydro4LIFE, which is a European Commission-funded project under the group's Life+ Environment Policy and Governance Program.