Climate change, irrigation and hydropower

This study models the effects of climate change and irrigation on hydropower in the Kizilirmak (Turkey) and Devoll (Albania) river basins. It finds that while both face runoff reductions, the impact is most severe in the Kizilirmak basin. Reservoirs in Kizilirmak increase evaporative and irrigation losses, whereas in the Devoll basin, they improve water availability during low flow periods.

• The combined impact of climate change and expanded irrigation withdrawals is expected to reduce overall river runoff, with the most significant reductions occurring in the Kizilirmak basin, which will decrease the water available for hydropower production.
• Reservoirs contribute to increased water losses by enabling larger irrigation withdrawals through regulated flow and increasing evaporation from their surfaces. In the Kizilirmak basin, irrigation losses are estimated to be 2–4 times larger than gross evaporation losses from reservoir surfaces.
• In the Devoll basin, reservoirs are expected to enhance water availability for hydropower during periods of low flow, and current upstream irrigation is considered a low risk for downstream power producers.

APA

Stockholm Environment Institute (2016). Climate change, irrigation and hydropower. https://www.sei.org/publications/climate-change-irrigation-hydropower/

Chicago

Stockholm Environment Institute. Climate change, irrigation and hydropower. 2016. https://www.sei.org/publications/climate-change-irrigation-hydropower/.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Stockholm Environment Institute |title=Climate change, irrigation and hydropower |date=16 March 2016 |url=https://www.sei.org/publications/climate-change-irrigation-hydropower/ |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{stockholmenvironmentinstitute2016climate, author = {{Stockholm Environment Institute}}, title = {{Climate change, irrigation and hydropower}}, institution = {Stockholm Environment Institute}, year = {2016}, month = mar, url = {https://www.sei.org/publications/climate-change-irrigation-hydropower/}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }