This Article will explore France small hydropower modernization market, investment opportunities, policy reforms and technical upgrade trends.
I. France in May: An Encounter with Spring and Humanity
May is springtime in France. The plane trees along Parisian boulevards were putting out tender green leaves, Seine was sparkling in bright sunshine, and the whole city was brimming with life. After a long 12 hours and 40 minutes flight, I landed at Charles de Gaulle Airport, exhausted.
But the beauty of Paris washed the fatigue away. From the classical art of Louvre to steel poetry of Eiffel Tower; from the grand dome of Panthéon to the wide-open spaces of Place de la Concorde; and then to the fire-damaged but still defiant towers of Notre Dame, every landmark carries the weight of French heritage.
What left an even deeper impression was the warmth of French people. Whether it was a stranger giving me directions on train station or old friends living here in France, I was lucky to have a lot of help along the way. So this trip turned out to be not just a professional inspection of hydropower projects, but also a genuine encounter with culture and kindness.
II. Purpose of the Visit
The main goal of this trip was to get a real-world look at how small and medium sized hydropower plants in France are run and maintained, whether they're worth investing in. Before I arrived, we'd already worked with our French partners to assess the head and flow of Loire River and come up with a rough plan for installing hydro turbines and generators. While I was in France, I focused on the Loire River basin. The Loire is a major river in north-central western France; it's a tributary of Sarthe, flowing through Eure-et-Loir department and beyond.
The Loire basin has decent hydropower potential. It's not as big as the Rhône in terms of flow, but where it meets the Massif Central and Loire itself, you get a classic setup for medium-to-low head and small-to-medium flow hydro development. A good example is Villerest hydropower station. It has an installed capacity of 66 MW, split across two units, using a run-of-river design. It came online in 1984 and is operated by Électricité de France (EDF). From an investment standpoint, Villerest is now over 40 years old. The key equipment is showing its age and there's room to improve efficiency. In short, it's a typical candidate for a technical upgrade.
In addition, we also inspected an abandoned historic watermill site located downstream of the Loire River. This old watermill has a hydraulic head of 1.5 meters and a flow rate of 11 m³/s. The site has strong potential for the renovation of its diversion canal into a small hydropower station. The proposed solution is to install three small hydro turbine units, each with a capacity of 50 kW, for a total installed capacity of 150 kW. The selected configuration includes:
- Kaplan Turbine: ZDK405-LHZ-130
- Generator: YGDLF55-150 r/min
- Integrated automation control panel
The system adopts an integrated metal spiral casing design, making installation simple and convenient while enabling efficient grid-connected power generation. This project will become a landmark demonstration project for Boland’s hydropower refurbishment and modernization efforts in France.
kaplan turbine generator
III. France’s Power Structure: The Strategic Role of Hydropower
In France’s electricity mix, nuclear power remains the dominant source of generation. In 2025, nuclear output reached 373 TWh, with low-carbon electricity accounting for more than 95% of total power generation, making France be one of the most decarbonized electricity systems in Europe. Within this structure, hydropower is the second largest power source. In 2025, hydropower generation reached 62 TWh, supplying approximately 15%–16% of national electricity consumption. However, the value of hydropower goes far beyond generation volume alone.
Hydropower offers a level of flexibility that neither nuclear power nor renewable sources such as wind and solar can match. Nuclear plants are mainly designed for baseload operation and are not suitable for frequent start-stop cycles. Wind and solar generation are highly dependent on weather conditions and therefore inherently intermittent. Hydropower, especially run-of-river plants with regulation capability, can respond to grid dispatch instructions within 15 to 30 minutes. Combined with its role in peak shaving, load balancing and maintaining overall grid security, hydropower acts as a regulator within power system.
This is reason why France considers hydropower as a key pillar of national grid security. As the share of renewable energy continues to grow, the importance of hydropower as country’s largest renewable electricity source is not diminishing. On the contrary, its dispatchability, contribution to grid stability and energy storage potential are making it increasingly strategic.
IV. Small Hydropower in France Today: Large Existing Capacity, Urgent Need for Upgrades
France is high in southeast and low in northwest. The Alps, Pyrenees, Jura Mountains and Massif Central run across the east and south. These mountains doesn't just bring plenty of rain and snowmelt, they also provide high water head that hydropower needs. From Roselend Dam in Alps to various projects along the Isère River, these form the natural backbone of France's hydropower system. At the same time, France has 250,000 kilometers of rivers spread all over, which is perfect for small and medium-sized distributed hydropower. It's this geography: storing water in the mountains, running it through rivers, that has made France be one of the top countries in Europe for installed hydropower capacity. It's also given rise to a huge number of small and medium-sized plants.
France currently has more than 2,300 small hydropower stations (under 10 MW), with a total installed capacity of about 1,300 MW. They're mostly in mountainous and rural areas, like Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes. These plants generate around 6 TWh a year, which is enough to power about 1.3 million homes. That's roughly 10% of France's total hydroelectric output. But here's the catch: a lot of these hydropower facilities were built between 1900 and 1980. After 30 or 40 years of operation, aging equipment is becoming a real problem. Generator insulation is breaking down. Turbine blades are badly worn. Efficiency is low. Grid dispatching is still done manually. Breakdowns happen often. Without smart monitoring, when a plant goes down, it can stay down for a long time. All this leads to low revenues from power sales, and it also hurts overall grid efficiency.
According to France's Energy Regulatory Commission, small hydropower market has been growing steadily over the past few years. The government offers incentives like investment subsidies, tax breaks and green certificates to encourage private investors and companies to get into small hydro projects. But upgrading old hydropower facilities takes a lot of money and that's a heavy burden for smaller operators.
Still, underneath this picture of old, outdated equipment lies a big investment opportunity. Through technical upgrades: replacing old equipment or bringing in new investors, most of these hydropower plants could increase their output by 30%. That's a significant efficiency gain, which means a much better return on investment. The payback period for a retrofitted plant could drop from ten years to just three to five years. Over the next fifteen years, France's hydropower upgrade needs will add up to a sizeable market. And that's exactly why French government is pushing hard on policies to support hydropower to stabilize the country's power system and reduce dependence on oil and gas.
V. Policy Breakthrough: New Market Opportunities in 2025
2025 is a landmark year for France's hydropower market. On July 2, 2025, French government and European Commission finally signed an agreement to end a legal dispute that had dragged on for more than ten years and clearing a long standing obstacle to hydropower investment.
The new framework has three main pillars.
First, a shift from old concession system to a more flexible authorization model. Existing operators can stay on, which keeps things stable for both workers and water management. Second, EDF has committed to opening up 6 GW of hydropower capacity to third parties through competitive auctions overseen by the Energy Regulatory Commission (CRE). Third, EU will provide funding and technical assistance to support new construction and modernization hydropower projects.
What this means is investment plans which had been put on hold because of uncertainty over concessions can now be restarted under a clear legal framework. Both French and international capital will start flowing more quickly into hydropower modernization projects, and the market oppotunities for upgrading small and medium-sized hydropower plants is about to get a lot more active.
VI. Small Hydropower Investment Opportunities for Ordinary People
For French local residents and businesses company, investing in small hydropower plant isn't out of reach. Recent years, French government has been using incentives like investment subsidies, tax breaks and green certificates to encourage private individuals and companies to get involved in hydropower projects. There are already quite a few community driven success case. Take Eau et Soleil du Lac for example: a community group developed a citizen-owned small hydropower plant on the site of an old water mill. They're expecting to generate about 1.5 GWh per year. Additionally, Energy Transition Ministerial tender scheme, which has been running since 2016, continues to open up opportunities in small hydropower. Investors can get involved through different legal structures, like a public limited company (SA) or a simplified joint stock company (SAS). Ordinary citizens can also buy up old small hydropower plants and retrofit them, turning a hydro plant into a steady stream of passive income.
In the bigger picture of carbon neutrality, carbon credit value of hydropower investments is becoming more and more important. The EU is pushing hard on its carbon neutrality goals. In March 2026, the EU formally adopted amendment to European Climate Law, setting a 90% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions (compared to 1990 levels) by 2040 as a legally binding target. This sits right between 2030 target of a 55% cut and 2050 goal of climate neutrality. At the same time, the EU's Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM) came into effect on January 1, 2026. Whether you're a company inside EU or an exporter selling into Europe, you're facing tighter and tighter carbon constraints. For businesses that want to operate in the French or EU market, carbon management angle of hydropower investment is a big deal.
In France, the usual ways for companies to manage their carbon footprint include participating in the EU Emissions Trading System (EU ETS), getting Guarantees of Origin (GOs) for green electricity, and obtaining voluntary carbon credits. A small hydropower retrofit project can generate tradable green certificates, but it can also issue state certified carbon credits through mechanisms like France's Label Bas Carbone. These can help companies meet their emission reduction obligations or support claims about carbon-neutral products. A small hydropower plant in French mountains can generates 20,000 MWh a year. After a retrofit, it could produce an extra 6,000 MWh. That's equivalent to cutting 94 metric tons of CO2 equivalent. At current carbon prices, just the carbon credits alone could bring in a nice chunk of extra revenue each year. Add to that the income from selling power to grid plus any subsidies, and you've got a triple benefit: power generation, power ongrip incomes and carbon credits. That gives investors a more diversified return profile. With EU aiming for a 90% emissions cut by 2040, the strategic value of hydropower as a zero-carbon energy source will only keep growing. And carbon related revenues are likely to increase as carbon prices rise.
VII. Boland’s Hydropower Modernization Solutions and Technical Capabilities
Boland provides comprehensive one-stop technical upgrade solutions for small hydropower stations in France, covering six major areas.
1）Core Turbine Generator Equipment Upgrades for Hydropower Stations
To address low operating efficiency of many aging hydropower stations in France, we provide high efficiency turbine runner replacement or complete turbine upgrade services. Our turbine runners are manufactured using durable and corrosion resistant ZG06Cr13Ni4Mo stainless steel as core material, enabling the upgraded turbine to operate reliably for more than 40 years.
We can supply turbine units suitable for different water head and flow conditions:
توربين بيلتون for high water head and low water flow applications from 80 to 800 meters, with efficiency exceeding 92%;
توربين فرانسيس for medium water head applications ranging from 20 to 150 meters;
توربين كابلان for low water head and high flow conditions between 1 and 15 meters.
Combined with high efficiency generators capable of improving generation efficiency by 15% to 20%, these upgrades can significantly increase output capacity of hydropower stations.
At the same time, we integrate modern digital governors and automated control systems panel into upgraded solution, enabling one-button startup and shutdown, automatic load regulation, and remote monitoring functions. After modernization, the improvement in operating efficiency and reduction in energy losses can generate strong long-term economic benefits, while also significantly shortening payback period for technical upgrade investment.
2) Automation Control Panels and Unattended Hydropower Station Upgrade Solutions
Many small hydropower stations in France still rely on manual operation and on-site personnel for daily management. To address this problem, we provide modular automation upgrade solutions for your hydropower plants.
The first part is control panel modernization. For older hydropower stations that still use traditional manual control panels, we replace them with integrated automatic control cabinets. Each control panel cabinet combines digital excitation systems, automatic synchronization, digital governors, unit control, water level monitoring, protection systems, measurement and metering functions into a single integrated platform. One control cabinet is sufficient to achieve complete automated management for a single generating unit.
The second part is deployment of unattended operation systems. We use ultrasonic water level sensors, gate position meters and other monitoring devices to collect real time operational data such as water level, water flow rate and gate position. At the same time, video surveillance systems are installed to monitor key areas including discharge outlets. All operational data and video feeds are transmitted to a GIS based central monitoring platform.
This system can automatically start or stop generating units and adjust load output according to changes in forebay water levels. It also includes key functions such as automatic frequency and power regulation, automatic grid synchronization, comprehensive generator protection, and automatic emergency shutdown in the event of equipment faults.
After modernization, hydropower stations can achieve a modern operating model based on unattended or minimally staffed operation, significantly reducing labor costs while improving operational efficiency and safety.
In French market, SHEM, a subsidiary of EDF, has already adopted network based remote management platforms for real-time hydropower station monitoring. In 2023, VALEMO also deployed a SCADA remote management system at La Rose hydropower station in France, enabling SMS and email alarm functions and significantly reducing downtime caused by equipment failures.
Our Boland solutions draw on these successful operational experiences while combining them with China’s mature automation technologies to provide customized modernization solutions for French hydropower operators.
3) Substation and Grid Connection Upgrades
Many French aging hydropower stations still operate with transformers based on technologies developed in 1960s and 1970s. We provide complete modernization solutions covering high voltage switchgear, circuit breakers, relay protection systems and related electrical infrastructure, while replacing high energy consumption transformers with modern energy efficient equipment.
We also assist hydropower stations in upgrading their grid connection systems to ensure compliance with latest technical requirements set by French transmission system operators for grid integration.
 |
 |
4) Pumped Storage and Multi-Energy Integration Solutions
Pumped storage hydropower is one of key energy storage technologies for addressing intermittency of renewable energy sources. France is currently advancing several pumped storage projects, and Boland can provide pumped storage upgrade solutions for hydropower stations, helping improve overall grid flexibility.
At the same time, we are actively exploring hybrid energy models such as hydro-solar and hydro-wind integration, combining stability of hydropower generation with clean energy advantages of solar and wind power. We provide customized solutions that integrate photovoltaic systems, wind power and battery energy storage with small hydropower stations, enabling multi energy complementarity and creating additional revenue opportunities.
5) Hydropower Solutions for Water Treatment Plants and Water Supply Networks
In addition to conventional river based hydropower stations, Boland has developed innovative solutions for building hydropower systems within municipal water supply networks. France already has successful examples of hydropower generation from drinking water infrastructure. In 2010, Nice became the first city in France to install micro hydro turbines within its drinking water network, converting kinetic energy of flowing water into electricity.
Since then, several projects have been implemented across France. At Annonay drinking water production plant, a 26 kW micro turbine plant generates approximately 132,000 kWh annually, covering around 30% of facility’s electricity demand. Meanwhile, SICASIL utility company in Grasse installed 215 kW micro Francis hydro turbine with design flow rate of 600 liters per second with 40 meters water head, capable of supplying electricity to approximately 450 households. This project received financial support from European Regional Development Fund and French Agency for Ecological Transition and Energy Management.
Boland has already implemented pressure recovery hydropower projects at multiple water treatment plants in China and Philippines, using excess pipeline pressure to generate renewable energy. We now have full chain service capabilities covering feasibility studies, equipment selection, installation and commissioning, as well as grid connection solutions. Our goal is to provide the French water treatment sector with clean energy solutions based on concept of “generating electricity while delivering water” for self-consumption and long-term energy savings.
6) BolandTechnical Support Capabilities
Boland New Energy is an integrated energy company specializing in hydropower, طاقة الرياح, طاقة شمسية و battery storage solutions. We are committed to providing high quality integrated renewable energy systems combining hydro, wind, solar and battery storage technologies.
We have established a strategic partnership with CRRC in China, and our team has extensive experience in executing international energy projects. This enables us to deliver customized solutions to meet France’s complex technical regulations, grid standards and environmental requirements.
VIII. Learning from China’s Experience in Small Hydropower Modernization
China has accumulated extensive and valuable experience in hydropower station technical modernization, offering important lessons for French market.
Centralized Management and Integrated Control Platform Development
Nanfeng in Jiangxi Province China has explored a managed operation model for small hydropower stations by cooperating with professional companies to centrally upgrade dispersed power stations and establish integrated control platforms with unified operation and maintenance management. This approach has significantly reduced labor costs and improved operational efficiency. Small hydropower stations in France are also widely distributed, making the development of regional centralized control centers an important direction for future modernization.
Financial Tools and Green Financing Innovation
Qingtian in Zhejiang Province China introduced an innovative “water rights pledge loan” model to address ownership clarification and financing difficulties for aging hydropower stations. Small operators in France face similar financing challenges. This experience could be introduced into French market to explore diversified financing channels such as hydropower revenue rights pledges and green bonds.
Coordinated Development Between Capacity Expansion and Environmental Protection
In recent years, China has promoted development of green small hydropower systems, emphasizing environmental benefits and social responsibility. France has strict environmental regulations, including European Union Water Framework Directive adopted in 2014. Therefore, modernization projects must balance ecological flow protection, fish passage construction and biodiversity conservation. China’s experience demonstrates that integrating ecological restoration into hydropower modernization planning can create a win-win outcome between economic returns and environmental responsibility.
Technical Standardization and International Cooperation
In the field of small hydropower technology, Chinese experts have served as key coordinators in developing international standards together with experts from France, Italy and other countries, helping improve the operational efficiency of small hydropower stations worldwide. This demonstrates that China and France already have a strong foundation for cooperation in small hydropower sector. Our modernization solutions are designed to incorporate advanced international technologies and best practices, ensuring both technical reliability and innovation.
VIIII. Three Core Directions for Small Hydropower Retrofit: Automation, Ecological Integration and Digitalization
1) Automation is driving force behind modern hydropower upgrades.
Many small hydropower stations in France still rely on manual operation and on-site supervision, resulting in lower operational efficiency and higher safety risks. By introducing remote monitoring systems and intelligent centralized control panels, hydro power plants can significantly reduce manual intervention while improving responsiveness to grid dispatch instructions. Some hydropower stations in France have already adopted automated operation models managed remotely from centralized control centers in Lyon. The next step is to extend this advanced operational approach to a wider range of small hydropower facilities across whole country.
2) Ecological integration has become an essential requirement for hydropower modernization.
Hydropower development in France is subject to strict environmental regulations under EU policies. When transforming old watermills into micro hydropower stations, ecological considerations such as fish migration and river continuity must be fully addressed. In its technical solutions, Boland recommends the use of fish passages, ecological flow release systems, and low-impact run-of-river designs to ensure hydropower remains a clean energy source that coexists harmoniously with nature.
3) Digitalization is future of hydropower development.
Through IoT sensors, real-time data processing and AI driven analytics, operators can build digital twin models for hydropower stations. These systems enable continuous monitoring and predictive analysis of key parameters such as turbine vibration, water level fluctuations and turbine balancing performance. This not only improves generation efficiency and operational strategy, but also provides early fault warnings that help minimize downtime and maintenance losses. More importantly, digital systems make it possible to centrally dispatch and optimize the operation of multiple hydropower stations within a region, unlocking the full value of available water resources.
VV. Localized Operations and Maintenance: Boland’s Implementation Strategy for Hydropower Retrofit Projects in France
To ensure a successful implementation of hydropower retrofit projects in France, it is essential to effectively integrate China’s advanced technological capabilities with local market needs through a localized operation model. There are three main reasons for this approach.
First, while European hydropower equipment manufacturers have strong technical expertise and well established brands, their equipments are generally expensive, often costing more than three times price of comparable Chinese equipment. This creates a significant investment barrier for many small and medium-sized hydropower operators when it comes to equipment procurement and modernization projects.
Second, after more than five to six decades of development, China’s hydropower equipment manufacturing industry has achieved world leading standards in quality control, technological innovation and cost-effectiveness. Chinese manufacturers are capable of providing products with equivalent or even superior performance at far more competitive prices.
Third, many small hydropower owners in Europe still have understandable concerns about purchasing Chinese equipment. They worry about whether installation and commissioning will proceed smoothly, whether maintenance services and spare parts can be supplied promptly, and whether technical support will be reliable over the long term. These concerns are valid, because once equipment failure leads to prolonged downtime without timely repair, the resulting operational losses for a hydropower station can be substantial.
This is precisely why Boland is committed to promoting a localized operations model to eliminate these concerns and enable French hydropower operators to choose Chinese equipment with the same confidence they would have in locally supplied systems.
Based on these needs, we have developed a comprehensive localized operations and maintenance strategy for the French market:
1) Establishing Demonstration Projects
We will select a representative small or medium-sized hydropower station as our first retrofit demonstration project. From site survey and engineering design to equipment installation and commissioning, every stage will be executed to the highest standards. Through demonstration effect of this project, we will directly showcase efficiency improvements and return on investment to French hydropower owners. We also plan to invite hydropower station owners from across France to visit and study demonstration site, while providing answers to all technical and operational concerns they may have.
2) Setting Up a Localized Operations and Maintenance Center in Tours, France
Tours is strategically located in central France with convenient transportation access, allowing efficient coverage of hydropower-rich regions such as the Alps and the Massif Central. We will establish a spare parts warehouse, basic maintenance center, local service team and 24-hour technical support hotline in Tours to ensure rapid response whenever equipment issues arise.
3) Localization of Engineering Teams and Technical Training
We are committed to building strong local technical capabilities. French electrical and mechanical engineers will be recruited and trained by our Chinese engineering team before being assigned to project sites to assist with equipment installation and commissioning. At the same time, we will provide systematic training programs for hydropower station operators to ensure long-term stable operation after retrofit completion. Through localized teams, communication efficiency during installation and commissioning will be significantly improved, while maintenance response times will reach industry-leading standards.
4) Strengthening Compliance and Certification Systems
The French market has strict certification requirements for industrial equipment. In accordance with French standards (NF certification) and harmonized European standards, we ensure that Boland’s hydropower equipment complies with NF certification requirements. For hydropower generating units, we follow IEC 61116 standards to guarantee compliance in safety, performance, electromagnetic compatibility, and environmental adaptability, fully meeting market access requirements in France.
For power generation equipment, we will adopt components from Schneider Electric and bearings from SKF to ensure compliance with CE and other relevant certifications. In addition, electrical equipment exported to European Union must obtain a TCA technical conformity certificate issued by an EU-authorized certification body before it can be connected to grid within EU member states. We have already made preparations to ensure that all imported equipment fully complies with the latest regulatory standards.
VVI. EPC Construction and Investment Implementation Plan
Based on above technical capabilities and localized operation and maintenance system, Boland provide French investors with full-cycle solutions ranging from equipment selection to final operation.
In equipment selection, we adhere to two principles. First is technical adaptability. According to different operating conditions, including different water heads (high / medium / low) and different flow rates (large / medium / small), we recommend the most suitable turbine types: Pelton turbines for high-head applications, Francis turbines for medium-head applications, and Kaplan or tubular turbines for low-head and high-flow applications. Second is balancing efficiency and reliability. The automated control cabinets adopt modular design and support remote upgrades and maintenance.
In terms of economic efficiency, under EPC turnkey model, we are fully responsible for design, procurement and construction, while the project owner only needs to provide the site and grid connection support.
For hydropower stations with suitable conditions, we will also introduce integrated solutions combining commercial and industrial energy storage systems, wind power and photovoltaic systems, utilizing the flexible dispatching capability of hydropower to achieve multi-energy complementary load balancing.
VVII. Conclusion
Returning to that spring day in Paris mentioned at the beginning of this article, what started as a cultural journey ultimately evolved into a profound market insight. France’s hydropower system is now at a critical stage of transition between old and new. Its natural geographical advantages have established hydropower as an irreplaceable core source of renewable electricity. Policy reforms have opened an investment window for long suppressed retrofit demands. The advancement of carbon neutrality goals has further increased carbon value of hydropower investments. Meanwhile, China’s advanced experience in small hydropower sector provides France with an efficient, economical and environmentally friendly modernization pathway.
As a solution provider deeply engaged in the renewable energy industry, Boland is committed to supporting technological upgrading of aging hydropower stations in France through stable one-stop core equipment solutions and a localized operation and maintenance system, helping build a cleaner, greener more efficient and smarter energy network across landscapes of France.
If you are planning to build a new hydropower station or upgrade an existing one, please feel free to contact Boland’s engineering and sales team via whatsapp:008613823302586 for professional hydropower generation solutions.
