◉  Service Background 

The Hydropower Sustainability Standard, (HS Standard) governed by the Hydropower Sustainability Council, is an assessment and certification framework that ensures accountability and assurance in hydropower sector.
It charts a path for harnessing hydropower's potential to drive positive impact, benefiting communities and our environment. The HS Standard covers 12 environmental, social, and governance (ESG) topics over two levels of performance: good practice (minimum requirements) and best practice (advanced requirements), and is aligned with green finance initiatives such as the Climate Bonds Initiative's Hydropower Criteria. 
CTI Certification has professional Accredited Assessors with significant experience in performing the assessment.  

◉  Hydropower Project Eligibility
Projects that are eligible to be assessed and certified against the HS Standard include:
• Run-of-river hydropower
• Storage hydropower 
• Pumped storage hydropower
• Multipurpose dams with a hydroelectrical component
Only individual projects, new and existing, are eligible for assessment and certification against the HS Standard. There are no eligibility restrictions on size, age or location. Multipurpose dams can be assessed against the HS Standard if they have a hydroelectrical component.
Should the development of the Project require the developing of associated facilities, these are included within the scope of the HS Assessment.

◉  Benefits of Implementing the Standard
Enhanced reputation: Gain recognition as a leader in sustainable hydropower, bolstering credibility and attracting stakeholders.
Environmental safeguards: Reduce ecological impact and safeguard natural resources.
Access to funding: Align with international standards to attract financing from investors and multilateral organizations.
Risk mitigation: Address potential environmental, social, and governance risks early, minimize project disruptions.

◉  Certification Process
Assessment: Accredited Assessors collect evidence and provide an unbiased evaluation of the project's sustainability performance according to the requirements of the Standard.
Publication and Finalization: The Secretariat reviews whether the assessment process and report align with all certification processes. If the assessment report is accepted, it will be published on the website.
Application: After publication, the Project Proponent submits an application to the Secretariat for certification and pays the application fee.
Certification: The Governance Committee certifies the project. If the project meets the requirements, the Secretariat will issue the certification. 
Re-certification: The duration of certification for ratings is five years. After the end of the certification period, the project needs to undergo a re-certification following the same process. 

◉  Certification Status
A project's certification status is determined based on the outcome of the assessment. There are three categories of certification status: certified, certified silver, and certified gold. An important principle in the design of the certification scheme is to incentivise and reward improving practice; hence higher tiers of certification status (Silver or Gold) are recognised for projects that meet advanced requirements, depending on the total number of advanced requirements met. The total number of advanced requirements met are summed per topic and converted into a percentage. 
• Certified
Projects have undergone an independent assessment and have met the minimum requirements of the Standard, and have received a total advanced requirement score below 30.
• Certified Silver
Projects have undergone an independent assessment and have met the minimum requirements of the Standard, and meet a minimum of 30% of the advanced requirements on each relevant topic.

• Certified Gold
Projects have undergone an independent assessment, have met the minimum requirements of the HS Standard and meet a minimum of 60% of the advanced requirements on each relevant topic.
A project must meet all minimum performance requirements of the HS Standard on all relevant topics to achieve HS Certified label. 

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