Given the extraordinary size of the HKH’s rivers and the volume of the region’s water resources through monsoon and annual cryosphere melt, hydropower is seen as a major opportunity for green economic growth and decarbonisation in regional countries. But climate change – accelerated glacial melt, permafrost thaw, erratic precipitation and extreme river, threaten projects’ stability and sustainability.

To build the sector’s resilience, ICIMOD developed a draft Guideline for Climate-Resilient Hydropower Development, working alongside Nepal’s Water and Energy Commission Secretariat (WECS), with the participation of other key agencies including the Nepal Hydropower Association, Nepal Electricity Authority, and the Department of Electricity Development. The guideline includes a Basin-Scale Climate Risk Assessment Framework tailored for cryosphere-dominated river basins, with the Narayani Basin as a case study. The framework promotes the systematic evaluation of hazards and options under different climate change scenarios, using state-of-the art tools, and facilitates hydropower planning.

Leveraging this expertise, ICIMOD launched a partnership with the Hydropower Sustainability Alliance (HAS) in 2024, to scale these guidelines across the region, build capacity among hydropower developers, and influence regional policies.