Regional Leadership Forum Advancing Sustainable Hydropower in Latin America and the Caribbean

1. Regional Leadership Forum
advancing sustainable hydropower in latin america and the caribbean
IDB / IHA / Odebrecht Energia / GIZ
Theme 2: Challenges of hydropower development
How Important is Water Storage
for Hydropower, Sustainable Development
and Poverty Eradication?
Francisco L. S. Gomide November 2012

2. INTRODUCTION ............................................................................. 2
NATURAL LAKES AND MAN MADE RESERVOIRS .............................. 3
THE IRRATIONAL OPPOSITION ........................................................ 4
THE ESSENTIAL INFRASTRUCTURE .................................................. 5
THE WATER (AND HYDROPOWER) CONTINENT............................... 6
THE STORAGE YIELD RELATIONSHIP ............................................... 7
CLOSURE........................................................................................ 8
REFERENCES .................................................................................. 9
Gomide,F.2012, available at http://www.globalwaterforum.org
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3. Introduction: What is the problem?
In the last thirty to forty years, alarmist groups and organizations
have been exaggeratedly stating that infrastructure works, in
general, and dams and reservoirs, in particular, cause serious and
intolerable environmental impacts.
Specific organizations have succeeded in coercing multilateral credit
institutions – such as the World Bank – to drastically reduce support
for the construction of hydroelectric plants: the starting point of a
process aiming at the criminalization of reservoirs.
Hydroelectricity would not be “clean” and could not be considered
renewable, because of the reservoir. In consequence, reservoirs
would not be acceptable for any other purpose (water supply, water
regulation, flood control, irrigation, navigation, etc.]
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4. Natural lakes and man made reservoirs
There are more than 75,000 dams in USA, with age over 50 years, on
the average. There is no evidence supporting the assertion that
building them was a mistake. The benefits of their reservoir operation
largely offset eventual environmental impacts.
Earth USA
Natural surface freshwater Total 104 620 km3
Lakes 90 990 km3 19 000 km3 Mother Nature’s wisdom?
Swamps 11 510 km3
Rivers 2 120 km3
Freshwater storage in man made reservoirs (Lakes) 6 620 km3 810 km3 Ecologic error?
The idea behind man-made reservoirs is to offer the very same
ecological services provided by natural lakes (water regulation, water
supply and flood control) … and hydroelectric power, improved
navigation and expanded recreation opportunities.

5. The Irrational Opposition to Reservoirs *
 How can anyone justify the opposition to the ecological service of
water regulation?
 And the opposition to the service of water supply?
 How can anyone waive the protection provided by reservoirs in flood
routing?
 How can anyone criticize man-made reservoirs without regretting the
existence of natural lakes?
 How can anyone favor the substitution of renewable energy (such as
hydroelectricity) by thermal electricity (from fossil fuel combustion)?
 How can anyone pretend there are more risks in hydroelectric projects
than in thermonuclear electric plants?
* (To the adjustment to a new ecological environment? To relocation?)

6. The essential infrastructure
Unfortunately, the mistaken opposition to dams and reservoirs was so efficient in
forcing, coercing and influencing people and organizations that aid agencies and
other institutions discreetly steered away from investments in infrastructure.
Rich countries are living off the convenient services provided by infrastructure
developed in the 20th century, which is aging. At the same time, pointing to poor
countries, this rich countries agenda advocates a path to development that no one
has taken before (Briscoe, 2011).
The end result of the irrational opposition to dams, reservoirs and other
infrastructure works is that the 20th century was closed with
 850 million people without adequate access to water,
 1.6 billion people without access to electricity and
 2.9 billion people living on less than 2 dollars a day.
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7. South America, the Water-Continent
Mean annual precipitation (milimeters per year)
All Continents Africa Asia North Am Europe Austr&Oc South Am Brazil Amazon
800 mm 740 740 756 790 791 1600 1800 2400
Mean annual run off (km3 per year)
All Continents South America Brazil USA
47.000 12.200 5.667 1.787
The Brazilian electricity sector is - and hopefully will continue to be – basically hydraulic. Thanks to
hydroelectricity the Brazilian energy mix is one of the cleanest and most carbon- free in the world. Most
of the Brazilian freshwater storage in man-made reservoirs (653 km3 out of 724 km3) has been
provided by electricity generation companies. Their total surface area is 37.000 km2, less than the
average size of the 11 largest natural lakes, of 44.800 km2.
Freshwater storage in man- Mean annual run off Days of mean discharge
made reservoirs
USA 810 km3 1.787 km3 / yr 165 days
Brazil 724 km3 5.667 km3 / yr 47 days
Brazil without BES 71 km3 =724 km3 -653 km3 5.667 km3 / yr 5 days
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8. The Storage Yield Relationship
<<<predatory design diminishing marginal returns>>>
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9. Strategic choices : large flexibility
Basically, one is looking for the probability distribution of the so-
called maximum accumulated deficit:
V = min(for 1<j<k<n) [– X (j) – X(j+1) –X(j+2) … – X (k-2) – X(k-1) – X(k) ]
where { X(t); t=1,2,…,n} is a sequence of net inputs.
 Strategic choice of size: any combination
of v(i) such that ∑v(i)=V
 Strategic choice of location: wherever
the adequate dam site is…
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10. Moving upstream: the search for the adequate dam site
Source: SUDERHSA, 2000
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11. Closure
 There can be no poverty reduction without access to water and
electricity. There can be no access to water and electricity without
investments in infrastructure. Reservoirs are not only useful. They
are indispensable.
 Every human intervention on Nature has environmental impact.
Hydroelectricity is favorably compared with most other generation
alternatives. And it is renewable.
 The concentration of reservoirs in the upper portion of the
hydrographic basins, as a consequence of the search for more
adequate dam sites, is consistent with the probabilistic design of
the storage requirements and with the environmental protection of
the watersheds.
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12. Propositions
Sustainable development implies in the optimum conversion of the
resources of nature to benefit today and future generations.
There is no conflict between the fortunately predominant advanced
level of global environmental awareness and the timely convenience of
the effective development of the Brazilian extraordinary water
resources.
Thank you for your attention
Francisco Luiz Sibut Gomide
Civil Engineer, Economist, Ph.D. (Hydrology and Water Resources), former Minister of Energy (2002),
CEO of Escelsa and Enersul (1995-2001), Brazilian General Director of Itaipu Binacional (1993-1995),
CEO and President of Copel (1986-1993), Director (Administration and Finance) of Copel (1983-1986),
President (1985-1987) and Director (1977-1979) Brazilian Hydrology and Water Resources Association
and Full Professor of Water Resources Engineering at Federal University of Paraná
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