Effects of climate change on future energy production of Namakhvani HPP

Abstract

Climate change may be considered relevant for hydropower production schemes all over the world. Despite this, the assessment of the impact of climate change on hydropower is uncertain and must be interpreted with that in mind. The paper focuses on the Namakhvani HPP (400 MW), a new project under development in the Rioni River, in Georgia. Using it as an example, the paper emphasizes the critical role that is played by uncertainty in climate impact risk assessments and explores the interpretation of simulation results, providing ways in which they can be transformed in actionable information for decision-making.