Hydropower and Dams (H and D): Strengthening climate-informed project design

This learning note provides lessons and recommendations concerning the project design of hydropower and dams. The document includes a case study from Mozambique. The growing impact of climate change on the design and operations of dams and the inherent complexity of dam projects (often multi-purpose) require the capacity to adopt increasingly strict global standards and to mainstream resilience and low-carbon considerations in water infrastructure in which dams are a critical component. Dams and reservoirs (H&D) are both helpful for applying water resources management principles to build resilience to climate change and vulnerable to risks related to climate change.

The learning note recommends the following to keep in mind in the design of dams and reservoirs:

• Ensuring basic dam safety measures is paramount in H&D projects potentially affected by climate change.
• Best practices regarding the building of new dams or rehabilitation of existing dams under a changing climate.
• A dam project should be developed by considering the larger picture.