Initiatives for the Future of Large Rivers (IFGR): An

innovative action in favour of hydropower development

and acceptance

Bertrand Porquet and Jean-Louis Mathurin

Compagnie Nationale du Rhne (CNR)
2 rue andr Bonin
69316 Lyon Cedex 4
France

1. Background
Since 1934, when it was entrusted with the river concession, CNR has cultivated an integrated vision: energy
production, river transport and irrigation. Internationally, this model of concession is almost unique since the
only other body founded to achieve this threefold objective is the Tennessee Valley Authority (United States).
Elsewhere, the uses of rivers are segmented between public authorities and the private sector.
However, the problems of managing rivers are increasingly apparent in a context of climate change. Meanwhile,
solutions are being developed that range from more water thrifty irrigation techniques to flood warning
procedures and schemes to redistribute the profits generated from hydroelectricity.
This is why CNR, decided in 2014 to set up a forum of exchange to stimulate innovation and share knowledge
between the great rivers of the world.
The observatory Initiatives for the Future of Great Rivers (IFGR) has been founded on several convictions:
River require shared solutions that can be found by breaking down the barriers between disciplines,
All innovative projects must forge ties with the territory in which they are implemented,
The success of solutions relies on making the public aware from government authorities to young
people.
At international scale, IFGR brings together river managers and multidisciplinary experts to identify and
implement innovative solutions for the rivers of tomorrow.
The first international session took place in Lyon (France) in October 2015 and the second one in Montreal
(Canada) in April 2016.
Regarding more specifically hydropower, one of the four themes of the first session was Re-evaluate the
potential of hydroelectric energy, with considerations to synergy between renewable energies, energy
systems (what place for decentralized energy systems) and social responsibility (redistributing the profits
generated by hydroelectricity and the transparency concerning them).
The second session continued this process of reflection with one of the two workshops devoted to New energy
models.
The paper present more in details the observatory Initiatives for the Future of Great Rivers (IFGR) and the first
outcomes to date which could be helpful for ongoing or future river projects.

2. Method
Chaired by Erik Orsenna, Member of French Academy, economist and well known author, the IFGR now
gathers 17 panellists: river managers and operators, a hydrologist, an anthropologist, an economist, an
environmentalist, an archaeologist, an historian, an urban planner.
This rivers committee is accompanied by a steering committee composed of representatives of the Rhone
Valley and CNRs shareholders, and an innovation committee which brings together representatives of the
innovation departments of Engie, the Caisse des Dpts and CNR.
The rivers selected to date are the Parana, Maroni, Mississippi, Saint Lawrence, Nile, Senegal, Red River,
Yellow River, Mekong, Ganges, Brahmaputra, Murray-Darling, Elbe, Danube, Volga and Rhone.

The IFGRs objectives are achieved through different actions:

 International meetings: the panellists meet twice a year in a region crossed by a great river to debate on
one or more concrete subjects. The last day of each session is open to local and national elected
representatives, so that the representatives of the territories can learn about new trends and the results
obtained.
The Fab-Lab: this groups start-ups whose activities are related to rivers and which can propose
innovative solutions;
The reception of PhDs whose research fuels the reflection of the observatorys permanent members.
Local meetings: in the Rhone Valley, they are aimed at bringing together the stakeholders around the
common challenges linked to the river.
Education of young people, notably through the actions of Erik Orsenna in schools.
Publications: the Travel Journals produced by Erik Orsenna, presenting the rivers, will be completed by
punctual publications by the panellists

3. Outcomes from the first session (Lyon, October 2015)

The theme dealt with by the first session of Initiatives for the Future of Great Rivers was the place and role of
the river in energy transition and in the response to climate change.
1.1 General recommendations
In view of the COP21, the panellists expressed their concerns: despite generalized awareness from public
institutions to companies and individuals of the need to act, rivers remain absent from the discussions whereas
they are both fragile ecosystems and levers for action.
Faced with the depletion of resources, melting ice caps and rising sea levels, growing competition for the use of
water, and the environmental issues that development schemes raise, this issue can no longer be evaded: can we
ensure the sustainable management of rivers, to make them a foundation for a new model of development?
An opinion column was published in one of the major French newspapers Le Figaro, addressed to the French
ministers in charge of COP21 negotiations, whose title was We have forgotten our rivers.
One of the main ideas is that the rivers, especially the largest of them, provide part of the response to climate
change if global vision and multipurpose development are promoted.
1.2 Hydropower
Regarding hydropower theme, the recommendations of the IFGR members were the following:
Synergy between renewable energies
Study the lever effect of hydroelectricity on energy transition, by enhancing its advantages:
- 100% renewable energy without greenhouse gas emissions;
- Maturity that permits the exploration of innovative technologies at the core of tomorrows energy
systems (energy storage: power to gas, hydrogen, synergy with other renewable energies).
- A financial resource that can be redistributed in the territory.
Energy systems
Place hydroelectricity in the service of tomorrows economy by developing decentralized systems, while
seeking synergies with traditional systems.
Integrate flexibility in the design of structures, to permit the integration of continuous improvements to
preserve the rivers hydrological continuity.
Social responsibility
Increase the impacts of redistributing the profits generated by hydroelectricity and the transparency
concerning them, to meet the emerging demands of regional authorities and other river users.
 Fig. 1. IAGF meeting, Lyon

4. Outcomes from the second session (Montral, April 2016)

During the second session, the group of experts dealt with a practical case proposed by Port of Montreal
Authority and held workshops.
4.1 Case study, and beyond
The Montreal Port Administration wanted to know the opinion of the members of the panel regarding two
approaches taken in recent years: the adaptive management of the resource and the extension of the port through
the construction of a new terminal.
Beyond the detailed specific context of these reflexions, which are out the scope of this paper, most of the
recommendations, when generalized, could apply to many types of projects on a river, including hydropower.

Integrate new sources of information

The climatic data used by current models prove to be uncertain and inadequate for forecasting the needs of
tomorrow. IFGR panel recommends more interdisciplinarity, by integrating the data relating to human,
social and even religious dimensions which can be collected through work in the field and in-depth studies
of the history and cultures of places and peoples.
Associate all the stakeholders in creating a common vision
To obtain the support of the population, IFGR panel recommends rethinking approaches by the construction
of a shared and long-term vision of the future of the natural resources. This involves both increasing inter-
institutional dialogue and associating all the communities concerned in building the approach.
Globalise a specific project
As an essential element of a global project oriented towards the future, a specific project must succeed in
generating pride.
Reassure by showing what will remain the same after the completion of a project
All changes give rise to anxiety: thus there is a need to show that not everything will change and that the
changes that will occur will be positive and take into account that which exists already, continuing from
existing rationales.
Enrich dialogue
Compensation, which implies guilt, should be replaced by the notion of shared advantages.
Go beyond the confrontation between developer and civil society
For the IFGR panel, this dissymmetry could only lead to arduous dialogue. To go beyond this confrontation,
the panel suggested funding environmental groups so they can perform counter analyses or call on a third
party to build trust between the players.

4.2 Workshop on new energy models

A workshop was devoted to new energy models to attempt to respond at the question : can production be
decentralised down to local and even individual scale?
To answer this question, seven principles were identified.
Different approaches must be integrated: the technological and economic, the cultural and social and
the standardised and specific.
Account must be taken of the economic difficulty of placing the technological solutions to the fore. In
Laos, the unit cost of some of the solutions proposed by Japan and European countries, a priori
pertinent, was very high and finally undermined the result expected.
 It is necessary to bear in mind that the public authorities are unable to decide between the necessity of
covering all the zones in deficit on the one hand, and ensuring general economic development on the
other. Some choices relating to the production of large volumes of electricity ensure general economic
development, especially through the sale of the electricity produced, as is done in Laos and Senegal.
The viewpoint of the consumer and final client should be placed to the fore.
It is necessary to underline the importance of interconnection and the logic of the network. More
effective solutions may exist in improving the network rather than over-focusing on the development of
production tools, whether centralised or not.
Upstream of energy production questions, it is necessary to integrate those of energy saving and energy
thriftiness. Certain rules, methods and policies developed for other utilities have led to changes in the
behaviour of users. For example, regarding water, billing differentiated according to use has been set
up. These uses are known as first need (essential needs), comfort (everyday needs) and luxury (filling
swimming pools and car-cleaning).

Fig. 2. Denis Coderre, mayor of Montreal greets IAGFs President and CNRs CEO

5. Conclusion
Although rivers are threatened, they are also a solution. Their rational use can help to reduce greenhouse gas
emissions while providing the conditions needed for their restoration Erik Orsenna wrote.
Backed by its experience as concessionary of the Rhone, CNR has set up a World Observatory, Initiatives for
the Future of Great Rivers. It is a forum of debate to define the place of the river in tomorrows world.
Its method, fostering exchanges between a broad range of disciplines and integrating approaches from the five
continents, is well adapted to the interconnection of issues for sustainable river development.
Two years after its creation and two sessions of meetings during which it was also necessary to learn working
together, IFGR begins to play its part in energy transition and the emergence of a sustainable world by issuing
ideas, aimed at designing better projects in rivers and at favouring their territorial acceptance.
They seem appropriate for hydropower projects, provided that these projects take into account the entirety (from
geographic, interdisciplinary and institutional point of view) of the rivers and integrate multipurpose
development.
The Authors

B. Porquet Strategy Management Director, joined CNR in 2014. His work consists of implementing strategic plan.
As General Secretary of Initiatives for the Future of Great Rivers, with Erik Orsenna, he manages international meetings with
different experts to define the River of Tomorrow. Between 2003 and 2014 within the Group GDF SUEZ, he previously
served as Key Account Manager for Elyo, as well as Director of Major Projects for Elyo before becoming Director of
Sustainability for Elyo and Cofely, and then Vice President Urban Development (2009-2014).

J-L Mathurin, graduate engineer of the Ecole Centrale de Lyon, joined the Compagnie Nationale du Rhne (CNR) in 1979.
There, he acquired 35 years of experience in river engineering, major waterway projects and multipurpose hydroelectric
projects in France and abroad. Since 2004, he is director of CNR Engineering, the integrated engineering office of CNR. He
also works abroad on projects concerning major rivers, Niger, Senegal, Brahmaputra, and Mekong, Vietnam (Red river) and
was involved in new Panama locks design.