France: Sustainable hydropower in practice – study tour to Loire River

WWF organized a field visit to France for a delegation of Western Balkans public authorities and environmental NGOs to learn about the country’s shift towards sustainable hydropower and the “Convention for Sustainable Hydropower”. Participants visited the microdam of Roanne and the “new” Poutes dam on the Loire River. The Roanne microdam (2 MW) is now equipped with mitigation measures (fish ladders) that proved to be very effective: for the first time in 50 years, a salmon crossed the Roanne dam last year. The Poutès dam is being refurbished with the retaining wall being reduced from 17 meters to 4 meters, and an innovative valve system installed that will allow the transportation of sediments and the passage of migratory fish downstream, especially smolts (young salmon). The study tour ended with a visit to the National Wild Salmon Conservatory that secures wild salmon restocking until the Loire’s habitats and water quality can be restored.