The main objective of this EIP Water Action Group is to produce an adapted framework for energy companies in order to assess their water use and water impacts. The Action Group W4EF will develop a comprehensive approach to the water footprint of energy production. It will allow differentiating between water withdrawal, water consumption and net water consumption, and calculating different kinds of interactions between the activity and its water environment. The underlying project assumption is that existing frameworks and initiatives do not fulfill the need of the energy sector. After agreement on the framework and its validation, a tool will be developed to help implement the methodology in a consistent way and ensure wide dissemination across the European energy industry and beyond.

1. EIP Water Action Group
W4EF
A framework for evaluation and reporting
of the energy impacts on water
21 November 2013
EU Parliament, Brussels

2. EIP Water – W4EF background
 Istanbul 2009: World Water Forum 5
Ministerial Roundtable on Water and Energy: “scientific
research on water footprint of energy be advanced”
(1/6 recommendations)
 Marseilles 2012 : World Water Forum 6
2.3: Harmonize Water and Energy (IHA, IWA, EDF, WBCSD)
2.3.4: “By 2015, Establish a conceptual and analytical Framework for
evaluation and reporting of the energy impacts on water”.
 consensus and willingness to develop the Framework with an
– objective of presenting the final results at the WWF7 in
Daegu, South Korea.
 EDF took three commitments linked to Water Footprinting
Development.

3. EIP Water – W4EF targets

Usable for any energy production activity.

Implementable for the use of any kind of water resource.

From source to service – Life cycle of water

Able to consider quantitative and qualitative water uses.

Able to distinguish different ways of using the resource,
generating different local interactions.

Indicators calculation and aggregation adaptable in
time and space to fit the user’s interests and capacities.

Able to produce reporting figures with not only one indicator.

4. EIP Water – W4EF organisation
Steering
Committee
EDF Working
Group
Advisory Council
WEC / WWC
Energy champions
OTHER RENEWABLE
REN - Alliance
NUCLEAR
World Nuclear
Association
OIL & GAS
HYDROPOWER
International Hydro
Association
BIOMASS
World Bioenergy
Association
COAL
World Coal Institute
Energy companies
Scientific Community and
institutions
EPRI, DHI, SIWI, UNEP, NGOs, …

5. EIP Water – W4EF milestones

6. W4EF
Find out more on
www.eip-water.eu/working-groups/w4ef-framework-evaluationand-reporting-energy-impacts-water