Small hydropower stations in Greece: The local peopleʹs attitudes in a mountainous prefecture

During the last years, it has become evident that operation of hydropower stations creates discussions and different views on the local communities. Especially, although the issue of operation of small hydropower (SHP) stations or plants is of considerable interest in Greece, almost no study has been conducted to investigate the current status of Greek citizens’ attitudes towards utilization of the available hydropower potential through SHP. The present study, therefore, aims to examine in the prefecture of Ioannina, Greece, the local peopleʹs attitudes on operation of SHP stations in connection with the increased public interest for environmental and social dimensions of small hydropower stations, and to determine how these attitudes change with respect to various factors.