The Hydropower Sustainability (HS) Standard is a global benchmark for sustainable hydropower development. It outlines criteria for projects to achieve certification, drawing from a multi-stakeholder collaboration involving industry, governments, NGOs, and financial institutions. Aligned with the San José Declaration, Climate Bonds Initiative criteria, and World Bank frameworks, the HS Standard sets a new standard for accountability and assurance.

Hydropower projects are evaluated based on environmental, social, governance, and climate change aspects. The HS Standard sets both minimum requirements (equivalent to international good practice) and advanced requirements (equivalent to international best practice).
A project must meet all minimum performance requirements of the HS Standard on all relevant topics to achieve HS Certified label. Higher tiers of certification status (Silver or Gold) are recognised for projects that meet advanced requirements.

Through HS Standard Certification, hydropower developers and operators can display their commitment to sustainability to civil society and demonstrate robustness to financial institutions and governments. Among the industry, HS Standard Certified Projects will be recognised as top performers.

The HS Standard is the only certification tool developed specifically for hydropower, built through a multi-stakeholder process involving industry, governments, NGOs, and financial institutions. Unlike general environmental permitting or national regulatory frameworks, it provides a holistic evaluation across environmental, social, governance, and climate dimensions — with recognised tiers of performance.
Rather than replacing existing frameworks, the HS Standard is designed to complement them. It is aligned with the IFC Performance Standards and World Bank Safeguards, making it a natural fit for projects that are already applying those frameworks and wish to demonstrate their performance through independent certification.

New and existing run-of-river, storage, pumped storage, and multipurpose hydropower dams — and some cascades — are eligible. Projects anywhere in the world may apply, regardless of size or location, and at any lifecycle stage: preparation, implementation, or operation.

Cascades of projects may be eligible for a joint assessment, depending on their configuration and operational interdependencies.
Contact HSA to discuss your specific situation and understand how the scope of a joint assessment would be defined.

HSS Group Certification certifies a portfolio of operational hydropower facilities. It turns sustainability from a single-project claim into a fleet-wide credential, allowing operators to make stronger, portfolio-level claims to lenders, offtakers and the markets. We are currently piloting this pathway with selected operators.
Contact HSA to discuss your portfolio and explore how a pilot would be structured.

No. The HS Standard certifies projects at a specific lifecycle stage — Preparation, Implementation, or Operation — and recognises performance at that stage only. Assessments reflect a snapshot in time based on evidence available at the time of assessment.
For example, certification of an operating project against the Operation stage requirements does not imply that the Preparation or Implementation of that project met those respective stage requirements.

Costs comprise an Assessment fee, Registration fee, and Certification fee.

Assessment fees cover the Assessor's professional fees and vary depending on project complexity, size, and location. 10% of the Assessment cost is attributed to the Secretariat for management and administration.

• ✓Projects greater than 10 MW: Registration 3,000 EUR · Certification 9,000 EUR
• ✓Projects 10 MW and smaller: Registration 1,500 EUR · Certification 4,500 EUR

The process takes approximately 35 weeks for projects meeting all requirements at assessment, across five stages:

• 1.Registration ~ 4 weeks
• 2.Assessment ~ 10 to 16 weeks
• 3.Publication ~ 12 weeks
• 4.Application ~ 2 weeks
• 5.Certification ~ 3 weeks

All durations are approximate and may vary depending on project size, complexity, location, and documentation readiness.

If you are a Project Proponent, either the developer, owner or operator of a project, who is considering getting your project(s) assessed and certified for HS Standard, please complete the Express Interest Form or contact us at certification@hs-alliance.org and we will walk you through the process.

Before applying, we encourage you to review the HS Standard page for full details on eligibility, the certification process, timeline, and associated fees.

A list of Accredited Assessors, including their profiles, is published on the HSA website. Project Proponents may contact any Accredited Assessor directly or contact the HS Secretariat who can invite Assessors to submit proposals to Project Proponent.

If a project has been assessed and does not meet the minimum requirements of the HS Standard, it will not receive a Certification rating. In such cases, Project Proponents have two possible options:

• ✓ Undergo the Gap Resolution Process: Following the on-site assessment, Project Proponents have eight months to close all identified gaps. Once the gaps are resolved, the Accredited Assessor verifies the actions taken and submits a revised Preliminary Assessment Report and Gap Resolution Report to the HS Secretariat within 10 months of the on-site assessment. The HS Secretariat then processes the documentation through the HS Assurance System and initiates the public comment period within 12 months of the on-site assessment, after which the project may apply for HS Certification.
• ✓ Publish a Preliminary Assessment Report: Where Project Proponents choose not to proceed with the Gap Resolution Process and subsequent certification steps, the project may publish its assessment as a Preliminary Assessment Report. In this case, the project does not pursue certification but may still disclose the assessment results on the HSA website for information and transparency purposes.

Projects seeking HS certification must first meet all minimum requirements of the HS Standard — this is the baseline for all three certification labels. The level awarded then depends on performance against advanced requirements:

Certified: Has undergone an independent assessment and met all minimum requirements of the HS Standard.

Silver: Has met all minimum requirements and additionally meets at least 30% of the advanced requirements on each relevant topic.

Gold: Has met all minimum requirements and additionally meets at least 60% of the advanced requirements on each relevant topic.

All certified projects, regardless of label, have therefore demonstrated compliance with international good practice. Silver and Gold recognise those that go further, meeting international best practice thresholds.

Certification validity varies by lifecycle stage:

• ✓Preparation stage: 3 years
• ✓Implementation stage: 3 years
• ✓Operation stage: 5 years

At the end of the certification period, the certification rating and status are no longer valid. To maintain recognition, Project Proponents can either undergo:

• ✓Re-Certification Process: If the project remains in the same lifecycle stage as the original certification, Project Proponents must commence the Re-Certification process before the certification end date.
• ✓New Certification Process: If the project has moved to a different lifecycle stage, a full new certification process is required.

If you have any questions on what process applies to your project, please contact certification@hs-alliance.org and we will be happy to orient you.