Sustainability in Large Power Plants

Abstract

No business activity today can be implemented without take into account the aspects of sustainability. The concept of sustainable development that was born of the years 1970 and 1980 and was enshrined in the concept of the three pillars of John Elkington - economic, social and environmental issues, the "triple bottom line" is a constraint for all types of enterprises, especially for large hydropower plants. Large hydropower plants have been for a while the great enemy of development, because of the emphasis given to the impacts that they cause to the people and to the environment. This accusation, which affected hydro plants, caused in large part because of some poorly conceived projects, must be reversed. Moreover, hydroelectric dams are forms of clean and renewable energy with minimal damage to the environment, and less damage to the affected populations, if well planned. It is essential to consider the sustainability issues associated with these ventures. There are assessment tools devoted to make the analysis of the sustainability aspects of hydroelectric projects. In this work a comparison is made between two tools for assessing sustainability in hydropower, analyzing positive and negative issues, advantages and difficulties concerning the implementation of these.