HYPOSO Workshop on Small Hydropower Framework Conditions (WFC) in Bolivia

Following the first WFC in Cameroon early this year, in July 2022, two further WFC were organized in the HYPOSO target countries Bolivia and Ecuador. The first HYPOSO WFC in Latin America was organized by the Bolivian HYPOSO project partners from Universidad Mayor de San Simón (UMSS), together with Ewa Malicka (TRMEW, Poland), who besides being the HYPOSO project partner responsible for these workshops is also President of the Polish Small Hydropower Association.
On 22 July 2022, the WFC for Bolivia was held as live event at UMSS in Cochabamba. The event was also broadcasted via internet so that more stakeholders could participate and have their say. Altogether, 55 (19 on-site) participants contributed to the workshop.


Focused participants of the workshop

The agenda included general information on the HYPOSO project, a presentation of the framework conditions for hydropower in Bolivia based on the outcomes of the HYPOSO framework analysis, and a presentation of 3 case studies in Bolivia and potential barriers for the development of these projects. The program continued with a discussion on recommendations for Bolivia to facilitate national investment - friendly climates for hydropower based on the presented case studies and outcomes of the framework analysis.


Lively discussion during the workshop

After summarising the discussion and recommendations, the event concluded with a presentation of the HYPOSO Map, which helps to identify potential (small) hydropower sites in Bolivia, and informs about several other relevant issues for hydropower professionals. Finishing, the participants were invited to participate in the HYPOSO Platform, to establish business contacts with the European SHP industry.


Ewa Malicka (TRMEW) presenting the HYPOSO Platform

The main conclusions of the WFC for Bolivia were:

• Bolivia has some gaps in its laws regarding the small hydropower plants and participation of private institutions in the sector.
• The HYPOSO Platform is a useful tool for Bolivian stakeholders; ENDE (Empresa Nacional de Electricidad - National Electricity Enterprise) Corani and ENDE Corporacion are interested in this application, due to the fact they will need to contact companies for equipment supply. Also the representatives of private companies showed interest since they want to represent equipment offers in Bolivia. 
• The study cases in Bolivia are of interest for the participating ENDEs. They asked about the timing (when project studies will be available) and about funding possibilities for these projects.
• Some local researchers from UMSS are also interested in the HYPOSO Map, especially about the possibility of downloading the different layers from the HYPOSO Map.

Nino Frosio (Frosio Next, Italy), thanked the participants after his talk