Quantitative sustainability assessment of a micro-hydropower system: case study of the Mesopotamia sedimentary plain

• The installed system cost is 1061–2532 USD/kW, • Levelized cost of electricity of 0.026–0.043 USD/kWh, • A final overall sustainability index of 0.73–0.76, • A maximum power output of the generators of 50 kW was chosen., • Average sustainability indexes of 0.9, 0.92, and 0.93, respectively. Iraq is extremely dependent on fossil fuels and urgently requires viable renewable alternatives. Despite housing most of the Tigris–Euphrates river system, Iraq has little hydropower. This study evaluated the multi-bottom-line sustainability of a novel electricity-production project in the Mesopotamia Sedimentary Plain based on commercial micro-hydropower generators, with the output water used to regenerate marshlands. First, in the upper Mesopotamia Sedimentary Plain (137 m elevation), 7850 × 50-kW micro-hydropower generators generate 314 MW of electricity. The output is collected in a reservoir and fed through two pipelines (2.2 m diameter) at 80 m head. The first pipeline (350 km in length) is used to drive 3925 × 50-kW generators to produce 157 MW in the central Mesopotamia Sedimentary Plain (8 m elevation) and supply water to Al-Dalmaj marsh. Finally, 500 km downstream, the second pipeline drives 3925 × 50-kW generators to produce 157 MW in the lower Mesopotamia Sedimentary Plain (5 m elevation) and supply water to the Chibayish Marshes. The installed system cost is 1061–2532 USD/kW, with a levelized cost of electricity of 0.026–0.043 USD/kWh (within the economic constraints of hydropower installation and electricity generation). Average technical, environmental, and economic sustainability indexes of 0.9, 0.92, and 0.93, respectively, were obtained, giving an overall sustainability index of 0.73–0.76. These values exceed the literature thresholds for overall sustainability, indicating that the proposed process is a sustainable business. These positive results promoting hydropower development in Iraq are discussed alongside the challenges of project implementation to provide insights for decision makers.