Hydropower provides around 10% of electricity generation in the EU, with 130 GW of capacity recorded in 2024. The largest European producers of hydropower are Norway (35 GW), Turkey (32 GW), France (25GW) and Italy (19 GW). When counted per capita, Switzerland, Austria and Sweden also have high shares of hydropower capacity. Hydropower capacity has expanded relatively slowly in the EU, increasing by 10% over the last two decades.
Our data relates to trade in hydraulic turbines and parts for such turbines. Hydropower trade is not significant when compared to other clean technologies including batteries, electric vehicles and solar. In 2024, imports of €25 million were offset by exports of €291 million, meaning the EU is a net exporter with a balance of €266 million. These exports have been relatively consistent over the past two decades, with a peak closer to €400 million in the mid 2010s. The most significant exports are to Mexico, the US and Switzerland.
The hydro sector is a substantial employer with 120,000 jobs in the EU as of 2023. This includes jobs in R&D, manufacturing, construction and operation, with more than 90% of jobs coming from the operation of existing hydropower plants. This explains why the number of jobs has been remarkably stable since 2010. Austria, Croatia and Slovenia have the highest employment shares as a percentage of all jobs. France has the largest absolute number of employees. Jobs in the hydro sector account for 13% of the clean technology jobs covered by the Prognos dataset.
Hydropower patenting rose strongly in the 2000s, but has declined since its peak around 2010. Europe remains the largest source of hydropower patent families in the dataset, followed closely by the United States, while China records a smaller but steady level of patenting. In 2024, Europe accounted for around one third of global hydropower patent families. Most recent patenting relates to turbines and engines for liquids, followed by hydraulic machinery, with smaller volumes for tidal and wave power and water-power plant technologies.
