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Working Groups

To promote and enhance the role of pumped storage in the clean energy transition, the steering committee, comprised of several governments, intergovernmental organisations and multilateral development banks, established three Working Groups: ‘Policy and Market Frameworks’, ‘Sustainability’, and ‘Capabilities, Costs and Innovation’.

Led by Lead Partners of the Forum these Working Groups bring together expertise from governments, the hydropower industry, financial institutions, academia and NGOs to help address common challenges facing pumped storage hydropower (PSH) development.

Policy and Market Frameworks Working Group

Lead Partner: GE Renewable Energy

Chair: JC Sandberg, MD and Executive Counsel, Global Government Affairs and Policy, GE Renewable Energy

While PSH will be critical in maintaining power system stability under high levels of variable renewable energy, many of its services are not fully recognized nor adequately remunerated. In addition, most policy and market frameworks do not adequately incentivise investment in greenfield PSH development. Given the long lead times involved, investment decisions are needed now to ensure solutions are available in advance of market needs.

This Working Group will explore the various services and markets to highlight the current investment barriers but also emerging opportunities for PSH development. A key focus of the group will be developing country and regional specific policy recommendations for government decision makers and regulators that de-risk development.

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Sustainability Working Group

Lead Partner: EDF Hydro

Chair: Antoine Malafosse, International Project Manager, EDF Hydro

Like any large-scale energy infrastructure project, pumped storage development can have environmental and social impacts as well as benefits. It is therefore critically important that these are well understood, and measures are taken to avoid, minimize, and mitigate any impacts.

This Working Group aims to promote and deepen the wider sector’s understanding on pumped storage’s sustainability profile. It will focus on both the benefits and impacts of development by testing PSH projects against existing sustainability tools like the Hydropower Sustainability ESG Gap Analysis Tool and assessing the territorial value creation for local communities.

Capabilities, Costs & Innovation Working Group

Lead Partner: Voith Hydro

Chair: Klaus Krüger, Senior Expert Plant Safety & Energy Storage Solutions, Voith Hydro

PSH is often absent in discussions concerning the need and deployment of energy storage due to lack of understanding about its potential, capabilities, costs, and innovations.

This Working Group will raise the awareness of PSH by undertaking several initiatives focusing on promoting its critical role in the energy transition. It will focus on comparing PSH with other sources of system flexibility, further investigation of potential sites and highlighting the latest technological developments.

Joining the Working Groups

All partners of the Forum are encouraged to join and participate in those Working Groups where they are best able to leverage their skills and experience. Kick-off meetings for each group took place in December 2020.

To become a partner of the Forum and join the Working Groups, please contact the secretariat:

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