Code: WBEC-REG-ENE-01 REGIONAL STRATEGY FOR SUSTAINABLE HYDROPOWER IN THE WESTERN BALKANS Background Report No. 3 Environmental considerations Final Draft 4 November 2017 IPA 2011-WBIF-Infrastructure Project Facility- Technical Assistance 3 EuropeAid/131160/C/SER/MULTI/3C This project is funded by the European Union REGIONAL STRATEGY FOR SUSTAINABLE HYDROPOWER IN THE WESTERN BALKANS Background Report No. 3: Environmental considerations Final Draft 4 Page 2 Information Class: EU Standard The contents of this document are the sole responsibility of the Mott MacDonald IPF Consortium and can in no way be taken to reflect the views of the European Union. This document is issued for the party which commissioned it and for specific purposes connected with the above-captioned project only. It should not be relied upon by any other party or used for any other purpose. We accept no responsibility for the consequences of this document being relied upon by any other party, or being used for any other purpose, or containing any error or omission which is due to an error or omission in data supplied to us by other parties. This document contains confidential information and proprietary intellectual property. It should not be shown to other parties without consent from us and from the party which commissioned it. This r epor t has been prepared solely for use by the par ty which commissioned it (the ‘Client ’) in connection wit h the captioned project It should not be used for any ot her purpose No person other than the Client or any par ty who has expressly agreed t erms of reliance wit h us (the ‘Recipient ( s)’) may rely on the content inf ormation or any views expr essed in the report We accept no duty of car e responsibilit y or liabilit y t o any ot her r ecipient of this document This report is conf idential and contains pr opriet ary intellect ual property REGIONAL STRATEGY FOR SUSTAINABLE HYDROPOWER IN THE WESTERN BALKANS Background Report No. 3: Environmental considerations Final Draft 4 Page 3 1 Contents List of abbreviations and symbols ....................................................................................................7 List of tables ................................................................................................................................... 10 0 Preamble ................................................................................................................................... 13 1 Introduction .............................................................................................................................. 17 1.1 Background and objectives of this background report ..................................................... 17 1.2 Activities undertaken under this topic ............................................................................. 17 1.3 Links with other tasks / background reports of the Study ................................................. 18 2 Methodology including relevant EU directives and policies ..................................................... 19 2.1 General methodology ................................................................................................... 19 2.2 Fish Fauna .................................................................................................................. 22 2.3 Relevant EU directives and policies ............................................................................... 25 2.4 Hydropower Sustainability Assessment Protocol ............................................................ 26 2.5 Western Balkan Sustainability Charter ........................................................................... 27 2.6 Conclusion................................................................................................................... 27 3 Environmental data and Environmental Analysis ..................................................................... 28 3.1 Data collected .............................................................................................................. 28 3.1.1 Overview of HPP locations ........................................................................................ 28 3.1.2 Overview of available data ........................................................................................ 30 3.1.3 Short description of national SEA/EIA legal procedures in WB6 countries .................... 30 3.1.4 Short description of protected areas .......................................................................... 36 3.1.5 Protected areas by river basin ................................................................................... 70 3.2 Environmental Analysis for HPP projects in Black Sea drainage basin ............................. 71 3.2.1 RB Sava: Sub RB: Una, Vrbas, Bosna, Drina ............................................................. 72 3.2.2 RB Velika Morava..................................................................................................... 81 3.2.3 RB Ti mok................................................................................................................. 86 3.2.4 RB Temišnica (Nišava) ............................................................................................. 88 3.3 Environmental Analysis for HPP projects in Adriatic Sea drainage basin .......................... 89 3.3.1 RB Neretva (with Trebišnjica) .................................................................................... 89 3.3.2 RB Morača............................................................................................................... 92 3.3.3 RB Drin-Bune........................................................................................................... 94 3.3.4 RB Mat .................................................................................................................... 99 3.3.5 RB Seman ............................................................................................................. 101 3.3.6 RB Vjose ............................................................................................................... 105 3.3.7 Adriatic Sea RB...................................................................................................... 108 3.4 Environmental Analysis for HPP projects in Aegean Sea drainage basin........................ 110 3.4.1 RB Vardar.............................................................................................................. 110 3.5 Environmental Analysis for HPP projects in Ionian Sea drainage basin .......................... 114 3.5.1 RB Bistrice ............................................................................................................. 114 3.6 Environmental Analysis for HPP projects: Rehabilitation projects................................... 115 3.7 Good practices examples and conclusion .................................................................... 118 4 Fish fauna and ecologically acceptable flow........................................................................... 119 4.1 Fish fauna in the WB6 countries .................................................................................. 119 REGIONAL STRATEGY FOR SUSTAINABLE HYDROPOWER IN THE WESTERN BALKANS Background Report No. 3: Environmental considerations Final Draft 4 Page 4 4.2 Threatened species in the Black Sea drainage basin .................................................... 123 4.3 Threatened species in the Adriatic Sea drainage basin ................................................. 126 4.4 Threatened species in the Ionian Sea drainage basin ................................................... 130 4.5 Threatened species in the Aegean Sea drainage basin................................................. 130 4.6 Areas of special importance for fish fauna.................................................................... 131 4.7 Impacts of HPP on fish fauna in the WB6 countries ...................................................... 133 4.7.1 Mitigation measures can reduce impacts of HPP ...................................................... 136 4.7.2 Recommendations and measures to mitigate the negative impacts of the HPP........... 136 4.8 Ecologically acceptable flow........................................................................................ 137 4.8.1 Legal grounds in the WB6 region............................................................................. 138 5 Hydropower production benefits / impacts / issues and mitigation concepts......................... 142 5.1 Benefits ..................................................................................................................... 142 5.1.1 Economic benefits .................................................................................................. 142 5.1.2 Social benefits........................................................................................................ 142 5.2 Environmental impacts and their significance ............................................................... 142 5.2.1 Hydromorphological changes and impacts on biodiversity ......................................... 143 5.2.2 Hydro-peaking impacts ........................................................................................... 144 5.2.3 Social impacts and public participation ..................................................................... 144 5.2.4 Transboundary impacts .......................................................................................... 145 5.2.5 Health