For over a century, engineers have proposed cutting a canal from the Mediterranean Sea into Egypt's Qattara Depression to generate hydroelectricity. Despite detailed planning, notably in the 1970s, the project remains unbuilt due to immense excavation costs and unresolved environmental concerns over increasing salinity.
Egypt has decided to abandon the Qattara Depression project, a century-old proposal to generate electricity by flooding a desert basin with Mediterranean seawater. A government review found the scheme economically unviable and environmentally risky, favoring modern solar and wind alternatives.
A suspected methane gas explosion caused a tunnel collapse at a hydropower project in Sikkim, India, killing at least 11 people and leaving 14 missing. Rescue operations are ongoing amid hazardous conditions.
A fracture in the Earth's crust in the eastern Himalayas poses a significant threat to a major hydropower project's infrastructure. Scientists urge engineers to enhance slope stability and implement protective measures against landslides and collapses due to the active Paizhen Fault.
India's hydropower generation fell nearly 21% in June due to El Nino-induced dry weather, impacting reservoir levels and increasing grid pressure. Crop sowing also declined significantly, with acreage down 21% for kharif crops.
Great Britain's energy regulator has provisionally approved three new major hydropower projects, the first in over 40 years, to be built in Scotland. These projects, alongside other energy storage solutions, aim to reduce reliance on energy imports and volatile fossil fuel markets.
Ofgem has provisionally approved 16 long-duration electricity storage projects, including three new pumped storage hydropower facilities in Northern Scotland, marking the first such projects in Great Britain in over 40 years, aiming to reduce reliance on energy imports.
Russian Minister Alexey Chekunkov stated that large Chinese companies are showing significant interest in investing in and localizing production for large-scale renewable energy projects, measured in gigawatts, in Russia's Far East. Hydropower development, including the Kankunskaya Hydroelectric Power Station, is a particular focus.
China Meteorological Administration forecasts moderate-to-strong El Nino to emerge globally in May 2026 and develop throughout the year. The climate phenomenon, occurring every two to seven years, threatens hydropower-dependent regions with droughts or flooding, potentially forcing power stations to reduce output and increasing reliance on oil and gas.
Construction of a US$1 billion Chinese-invested hydropower station has begun in Cambodia to facilitate the Southeast Asian country’s use of renewable energy as the fallout from the Iran war constricts developing countries’ access to traditional fuel supplies. Work on the Upper Tatay pumped-storage hydropower project in the hilly southwestern province of Koh Kong started on April 10, Xinhua reported, describing it as a future “green power bank” for Cambodia’s national grid. It said the project...
Chinese Vice-Premier Zhang Guoqing visited the Yarlung Tsangpo mega dam project in Tibet, stressing the paramount importance of quality, safety, and ecological protection during construction.
