Hydropower Sustainability Standard Assessment
The Hydropower Sustainability Alliance (HSA) is a global, multi-stakeholder non-profit that unites representatives from governments, industry, civil society, and financial institutions to drive demonstrable sustainability in the hydropower sector.
HSA oversees the Hydropower Sustainability Standard, an assessment and certification framework that evaluates and enhances the ESG performance of hydropower projects worldwide.
Through this standard and its capacity-building programs, HSA promotes transparency and best practices, ensuring hydropower development and operation are socially responsible, environmentally sustainable, and economically viable.
Hydropower Sustainability Standard
The Hydropower Sustainability Standard is a globally recognized certification system that provides accountability upstream and assurance downstream across the hydropower value chain. It allows stakeholders – from developers and operators to financiers and governments – to demonstrate their commitment to sustainability.
The Standard assesses projects across 12 environmental, social, and governance (ESG) sections at two performance levels: good practice and best practice. Clear principles and scope statements guide each section, ensuring transparency and clarity in the assessment process. By adopting the Hydropower Sustainability Standard, stakeholders can enhance their ESG performance and align with global best practices.
HS Standard Assessment of the Coire Glas project
Project Details
Project Name: Coire Glas
Project Location: Scottish Highlands
Installed capacity: 1296MW
Project Owner: SSE Renewables
Assessment Details
Assessment tool: Hydropower Sustainability Standard (HSS)
Assessment Stage: Preparation
Assessment Dates: December 2nd to 6th 2024
Accredited Assessors
Simon Howard (Independent Consultant)
Bernt Rydgren (Sweco)
Catherine Garcia (Energo-Pro)
An independent third-party assessment of the Coire Glas project was conducted by a team of Accredited Assessors.
The assessment process involves collecting objective evidence from a variety of sources to provide an unbiased and evidence-based evaluation of the project’s sustainability performance according to the performance requirements of the HS Standard.
As part of the HS Standard certification process, the preliminary assessment report is required to undergo a 60-day public consultation period, allowing all stakeholders to provide comments and feedback on its findings.
The public consultation period of the Preliminary Assessment Report of the Coire Glas project is open from 17th April to 18th June 2025.
Please note that anonymous comments or comments submitted from fictitious accounts will be disregarded in the final compilation of comments and responses.
Comments will be addressed by Accredited Assessors and response to these will be published on the HSA Website.