Hydropower Sustainability Standard Assessment

Hydropower Sustainability Alliance

The Hydropower Sustainability Alliance (HSA) is a global, multi-stakeholder non-profit that unites representatives from governments, industry, civil society, and financial institutions to drive demonstrable sustainability in the hydropower sector. HSA oversees the Hydropower Sustainability Standard, an assessment and certification framework that evaluates and enhances the ESG performance of hydropower projects worldwide. Through this standard and its capacity-building programs, HSA promotes transparency and best practices, ensuring hydropower development and operation are socially responsible, environmentally sustainable, and economically viable.

Hydropower Sustainability Standard

The Hydropower Sustainability Standard is a globally recognized certification system that provides accountability upstream and assurance downstream across the hydropower value chain. It allows stakeholders – from developers and operators to financiers and governments – to demonstrate their commitment to sustainability. The Standard assesses projects across 12 environmental, social, and governance (ESG) sections at two performance levels: good practice and best practice. Clear principles and scope statements guide each section, ensuring transparency and clarity in the assessment process. By adopting the Hydropower Sustainability Standard, stakeholders can enhance their ESG performance and align with global best practices.

An independent third-party assessment of the Hvalárvirkjun hydropower project was conducted by a team of accredited assessors. The assessment process involves collecting objective evidence from a variety of sources to provide an unbiased and evidence-based evaluation of the project’s sustainability performance according to the performance requirements of the HS Standard. As part of the HS Standard certification process, the preliminary assessment report is required to undergo a 60-day public consultation period, allowing all stakeholders to provide comments and feedback on its findings.

The public consultation period for the Preliminary Assessment Report of the Hvalárvirkjun hydropower project is open from August 18th to October 17th 2025.

Please note that anonymous comments or comments submitted from fictitious accounts will be disregarded in the final compilation of comments and responses. Comments will be addressed by Accredited Assessors and responses to these will be published on the HSA Website.