SE-HYDRO officially launched: towards more flexible, sustainable and socially inclusive hydropower

The SE-HYDRO project officially kicked off in Athens on 6–7 May 2026, bringing together sixteen European partners from research, industry and civil society to address one of Europe’s key energy transition challenges: how to increase the flexibility of hydropower while protecting river ecosystems and strengthening societal acceptance.

Funded by the European Union under the Horizon Europe programme and coordinated by the Energy Policy Unit of the National Technical University of Athens (EPU-NTUA), SE-HYDRO will develop innovative solutions to help hydropower become a more flexible, environmentally sustainable and socially inclusive pillar of Europe’s future energy system.

Over the next three and a half years, the consortium will combine environmental and hydrological modelling, AI-based energy management and innovative turbine operation strategies to improve the operational performance of hydropower plants while respecting ecological constraints.

Four European pilots to turn innovation into operational reality

SE-HYDRO’s solutions will be developed and validated through digital replicas of four hydropower pilot sites in Greece, France, Portugal and Serbia. Representing a diversity of hydropower technologies, scales and operating conditions—from run-of-river and reservoir plants to cascade and intake-tunnel configurations—the pilots will serve as real-world test beds for innovative approaches to:

• eco-flexible hydropower operation;
• biodiversity-integrated management;
• sustainable water governance; and
• stakeholder participation.

The ambition is to demonstrate that the growing flexibility needs of Europe’s electricity system can be reconciled with river ecosystem health, biodiversity protection and the multiple uses of water.

Developing hydropower with society, not only for society

SE-HYDRO is also among the first projects selected under Horizon Europe’s new Societal Readiness Pilot approach. This means that technical innovation will be developed alongside continuous engagement with the people and organisations affected by hydropower operations.

Citizens, local authorities, NGOs, river users and hydropower operators will be involved throughout the project to help identify local priorities and shape solutions that respond to environmental and societal expectations.

The project will also establish a Community of Practice on sustainable hydropower, creating opportunities for knowledge exchange and capacity building among operators, policymakers, environmental organisations and local stakeholders across Europe.

The journey has now begun—and over the next three and a half years, SE-HYDRO will work towards a future in which hydropower can provide the flexibility Europe needs while operating in greater harmony with rivers, ecosystems and communities.

Stay connected

Follow SE-HYDRO on LinkedIn and visit our website to follow the project’s progress, discover the pilot sites and learn more about the solutions being developed.