Navigating Climate Change: The Future of Hydropower and Water Management

This week on Energy Unplugged, we’re delighted to welcome Christoph Bellin, Head of Development & Projects at Alpiq. He joins Claudia Günther, our Research Lead for Northwestern Europe, to explore the evolving roles of flexible assets like battery storage and pumped hydro in Europe’s energy transition.

Christoph is a senior energy executive with over two decades of experience in the European energy market. At Alpiq, he leads the Development & Projects unit, driving the growth of a pan-European Battery Energy Storage System (BESS) portfolio from investment through to commissioning.

Main topics include:

• How Alpiq is expanding its flexible assets portfolio across Europe
• The key differences in development, financing, and operation of BESS and pumped hydro
• Whether batteries and pumped hydro are competitors or complementary technologies in the decarbonised grid