In 2005, the international cooperation on SHP by HRC has scored a great deal. Two International Training Workshops on Small Hydropower respectively for African countries (French) and Asia-Pacific countries (English), sponsored by Chinese Ministry of Commerce, were implemented with success. The international cooperation has been intensified with the successful exportation of the equipment to Sri Lanka, Turkey, Japan, Vietnam etc. Visits in and out have promoted the mutual understanding and further expanded the external influence of HRC.

    I. International SHP training workshop
    1、 SHP training workshop for African countries

    The 2005 International Training Workshop on Small Hydropower for African countries was held from 2nd Sep. to 26th Sep. at HRC. Totally 24 participants from 13 countries (such as Morocco, Burundi, Mali, Mauritius, etc.) attended this training. This training workshop has the following features:

    1）Keep advancing in spite of difficulties and unceasingly improve our work
It is a challenge to adopt French in conducting the SHP training workshop for French-speaking countries. Staffs of HRC Secretariat actively learn French in their spare time and try every way to organize it well. HRC has organized to translate various specialized teaching materials of the SHP, and have been striving to seek the teachers who can directly present in French. In this training, teaching rate in French reached 30%. The satisfactory interpretation by the specially invited foreign interpreter who is proficient in French, English and Chinese promoted the quality of the whole training workshop.

    2）Discuss to cooperate
    According to the call of the Chinese central government "Water sector needs going global" and the relevant document by the Ministry of Commerce, one of the purposes to conduct the technical training is to push forward the transfer and exportation of the hydropower technology and equipment to the developing countries. In order to achieve this goal, during the period of training workshop, a series of SHP technical-cooperation discussions were conducted respectively with the participants from Rwanda, Congo, Mali, Niger, Guinea, etc.. In these discussions, their demand and suggestions have been explored related to the SHP development in their own countries, and HRC expressed the willingness to participate in or provide the SHP technical assistance. Many participants offered their national future development plan on SHP to HRC for cooperative reference, and expressed that they would actively stimulate the cooperation between HRC and their home countries, disseminating China's SHP technology and experience. At present several cooperative agreements have already been reached.

    2、SHP training workshop for Asia-Pacific Countries

    The 2005 TCDC Training Workshop on SHP for Asia-Pacific Countries was held from 20 Oct to 28 Nov by HRC, and altogether 30 participants from around 16 Asia, Africa, Eastern Europe and Latin American countries attended the training. This training workshop has three features as follows:

    1）More study tours were arranged, including the visits to Hangzhou Dalu Electric Equipment Co.Ltd.and Hangzhou Sanhe Electric-control Equipment Co.Ltd., both the fast developing and vigorous private enterprises in Zhejiang province, as well as the HRC Laboratory, etc.. After the visits, especially in the meeting on SHP international cooperation, many participants expressed their intension to order the governors, the turbines or the TC operators.

    2) In the view of the specific conditions on SHP exploration in developing countries, we made corresponding adjustment to the teaching material and the curriculum in time, ensuring HRC's presentations more appropriate to the situation of developing countries. Meanwhile, due to the environment issues, the international society pays more and more attention to environment protection currently, so we offered a topic on "Environment vs Energy", which was highly appreciated by the participants and they were extremely active in inquiry and discussion on environmental protection issues. Considering that most participants were also interested in items related to SHP investment and financing, we specially arranged a topic on "SHP Financing".

    3）In order to meet the participants' demands to understand China more, we specially organized them to visit Zhejiang Gongshang University and to participate in the discussion with the graduate students and university students. At this discussion, the representatives from four continents were asked to talk about the different impression or feelings before coming to China and staying China for more than one month. What they felt surprised all those present. As before they came they thought China was a country without any freedom, laying an embargo on free speech about the religion and politics; the police were patrolling on the street everywhere, and the common people were living in the plight of lacking food and clothing. The participants indicated that after returning to their own countries they would tell their colleagues, relatives and friends what was the real China like. Then after listening to the introduction by the University and walking around the new campus, many participants inquired the entrance condition for international students with the strong interest. The quick development of this university left a deep impression to those participants who excitedly indicated several times that this double exchange was surely essential and they enjoyed the great benefit from it.

    II、Information exchange of international SHP

    The book "Status Quo and Problems of Small Hydro Development in Asia Pacific Region", written by HRC, was completed and published in November 2005. The study scope of this book focuses on the developing countries of Asia-Pacific region, as well as some developed countries in the area. The main purposes of the report are to provide the comparatively overall, objective, foresighted and independent reference material with full and accurate content for the decision-making departments of SHP in our country; also to put forward the demands of some developing countries to international society from our country and other relevant countries, and to supply the support for conducting the international cooperation and exchange better; at the same time, to provide a comprehensive research material about the world SHP for the international society.

    HRC has arranged the translation and publication of many books, such as "Research on European Small Hydropower", "The Third World Water Forum Thesis Collection" and so on.

    As invited by Chinese Ministry of Water Resources, Acting Secretary General of HRC Secretariat Mr.Pan presented a brief introduction of SHP in China to Rwandan ambassador in Beijing in June 2005. Friendly discussion was followed by both sides on SHP cooperation and other related issues of mutual concern.

    In 2005, invited by the organizations such as Asia-Pacific economy society, our center dispatched two groups of people to participate in the international seminars and make the conference presentations. See table 1.

    Table 1 Participate in the international seminars/conferences in 2005

    III、International SHP Cooperation

    In 2005, HRC dispatched experts to participate in the Asian Development Bank Gansu project of "Renewable energy sources Technology Aid". At present, this project is being carried out.

    In 2005, HRC cooperated with IT Power of U.K to carry on the development of SHP Clean Development Mechanism（CDM）project. Now, three projects have begun to be compiled the project development document (PDD) and made the agreement negotiation of reduction purchase in Hunan and Hainan.

    In 2005, through the support by the Ministry of Water Resources "948"project, HRC made the cooperation with Australia TYCO FLOW CONTROL TAMAR CO. to import the technology of case-type hydropower station to fill in domestic gaps in this field. Then after owned by the state, the technology will have a good market prospect.

    Aided by the Chinese government in 2005, the equipment complement for two SHP stations in Cuba, and the operation training workshop with duration of nearly 40 days for five skilled staff dispatched by the Cuban side have ended in satisfactory ways.

    2005 is a year in which we have opened up some new path for further development. Promoting the exportation of electro-mechanical equipment is always the one of HRC's missions, but over the years the real achievement has been scored a little. In 2005，through the efforts from different divisions, many export projects of electromechanical equipment have been completed to several countries (such as Sri Lanka, Japan, Vietnam, Turkey, etc.). Meanwhile, the SHP automatic technology and equipment, self-developed by our center, have been pushed toward the international market.

    In the first half year of 2005, our center has successfully completed the SHP consultation project to Rwanda, laying a foundation for the further bilateral cooperation. Our center also actively launches the technical cooperation with Australia, Pakistan, Indonesia, India, Vietnam, Korea, etc., and is always striving to contract, promote or implement the cooperation projects.

    IV、Foreign reception and visiting

    1. In 2005, there have been total 7 groups of delegations sent abroad with 16 people succeeded in the declaration, including Rwandan, Mongolian (twice), Cambodian, Indian, Swedish delegations and so on, and relevant foreign projects have been guaranteed to smoothly carry out.（See the following table）

    HRC's missions broad in 2005（altogether 7 groups with 16 people）

    2. In 2005, altogether 16 groups of foreign delegations with more than 100 people have been accorded the cordial receptions by our center (the participants of the international training workshops included), including the water-and-electricity experts or technicians from the World Bank, Sudan, India, South Africa, Indonesia, Japan, Pakistan, Germany, Chile, Thailand, etc. and more than twenty 2005 international water science summer campers from 13 countries. The visits of the foreign guests, on the one hand promoted the mutual understanding, on the other hand expanded the influence and raised the international standing of our center, powerfully impelling the international cooperation.（See the following table）

    Guests hosted by HRC in 2005（altogether 16 batches with 100 people）

    V、Working plan in 2006

    In 2006, the staff in HRC will redouble its efforts, striving for climbing up a new step in the aspect of the SHP international cooperation. Determined to do the following well:

    1、To apply and conduct well the two 2006 international SHP training workshops sponsored by Chinese Ministry of Commerce. At the conference to celebrate the 60th anniversary of the founding of the UN, China's President Hu Jingtao announced that this country must enlarge the long-term scope of human resources development to African countries, and also indicated that this country would offer the training workshops for about 30,000 African participants in three years. We will implement the international training workshops better and adopt the measures duly according to the demands and suggestions proposed by the participants.

    2、To strengthen the relation with the relevant international organizations from which we will try to have fund for running more international SHP training workshops to meet the demand.

    3、To complete the work of constructing two SHP stations in Cuba sponsored by Chinese Ministry of Commerce and guarantee the electricity generation on time.

    4、To continue to do the SHP follow-up cooperation well with Vietnam, Cuba , Mongolia, Rwanda, Australia and etc.

    5、To further promote the substantive international SHP cooperation and develop the SHP engineering cooperation with Turkey, India and African countries. To strive to make the export volume of electro-mechanical equipment increase with a large scale on the basic of 2005.

    6、To make full use of Internet and open HRC's homepage in French version in due time.

    7、To publish the book 《Status Quo and Problems of Small Hydro Development in Asia Pacific Region》in English edition.

    8、To dispatch more SHP professionals to participant in the international activities (such as attending SHP seminars, conferences or forums) to exchange SHP technology and experience, and to make the new contribution for promoting the global SHP development.

Hangzhou Regional Center (Asia-Pacific) for Small Hydro Power