Volume 2 Issue 2 February 2021
February 10, 2021Maintaining hydroelectric facilities in good working order is critical for several reasons. Hydroelectric facilities are major power producers for our nation and will only become more important as renewable energy standards become more stringent. Moreover, hydroelectric facilities that fall into poor repair can pose significant hazards to life and property. Across the nation and the world, owners and operators of hydro projects, both large and small, are engaging in rehabilitation to make their facilities better, safer, and more efficient. In our cover story, we speak with Martin Sintak, a founder, owner, and managing partner of the Czech hydroelectric company Mavel,…
FERC Regulatory Considerations for Project Modifications
It is well known that hydropower is one of the oldest forms of electricity generation in the United States, with hydropower plants accounting for 99 percent of all currently operating capacity built before 1930. Incredibly, the average…
Environmentally Friendly Epoxy Coating System Offers Big Benefits to Hydroelectric Station
In 2015, one of the largest electric power holding companies in the United States, which has provided clean, renewable energy since 1912, began a project focusing on the protection, mitigation, and enhancement of select hydro stations and…
Difficult Conditions Make for a Challenging Rehabilitation of a Small Hydroelectric Plant
The Noone Falls Mill hydroelectric project, located in Peterborough, New Hampshire, was in need of an upgrade. Marty Greco, its new owner, replaced its generators, its electrical switchgear, and its turbine units. The penstock, however, posed additional…
Rehabilitating the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ Hydropower Fleet
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers runs the country’s biggest hydroelectric fleet, generating 23 gigawatts of clean, renewable energy. Keeping that fleet in good operating condition and ensuring that it can provide power at competitive rates requires…
Del Shannon of Schnabel Engineering on Dam Construction and Rehabilitation
Schnabel Engineering is an engineering firm that does significant dam design and rehabilitation work across the United States, focusing on geotechnical, structural, hydraulic, and mechanical issues and other important factors. Del Shannon is a principal at Schnabel…
Martin Sintak on Mavel’s Low-Head Malczyce Dam in Poland
Founded immediately after the fall of communism in the former Czechoslovakia, Czech Republic-based Mavel has grown to be a world leader in hydroelectric equipment. While the company provides a full range of turbines, one of its specialties…
Luc Deroo of ISL: Addressing 21st Century Challenges for Dams and Reservoirs
Luc Deroo is the managing director of ISL, a French consulting engineering firm that is active in dam and reservoir work across Europe, Africa, and Asia. He is also involved in the French Committee on Dams and…
The International Committee on Large Dams’ World Declaration on Dam Safety
Michael Rogers is an experienced civil engineer with 40 years of experience at Stantec Consulting Services, Inc., currently serving as the global practice leader for dams. Mr. Rogers has served in prominent roles in the United States…
Tony Bennett: Improving Public Safety Around Dams in Canada and Worldwide
Tony Bennett is the longtime director of dam and public safety at Ontario Power Generation (OPG), which generates half the electricity for the Canadian province of Ontario. Over the course of his career at OPG and as…
Catrin Bryan: Advancing Dam Safety on Both Sides of the U.S.-Canada Border
Catrin Bryan’s experience in the field of dam safety spans both disciplinary and international boundaries. Currently the director of dam safety at engineering and construction firm McMillen Jacobs Associates, she has also served as the president and…
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