Hydropower in the East European region: Challenges and opportunities

Over the past decade, the authors had several opportunities to study the status of the hydropower sector and development prospects in their countries and across the region. HYDRO 2018, hosted this time in the eastern part of Europe, is a good occasion to summarize some results of the regional efforts in a global arena. The paper is not a comprehensive study, but presents some general observations and conclusions, and to give an insight concerning trends which may provide a positive stimulus for further development of the sector. Brief reports on local administrative regulations and practices, as well as some major projects, will be discussed. In view of the HYDRO 2018 venue, some emphasis is placed on the host country, Poland.