FERC Proposes Significant Changes to Dam Safety Regulations in Wake of Michigan Dam Failures
By Chuck Sensiba and Melissa Horne On July 24, 2020, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) published a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NOPR) that proposes to overhaul the FERC dam safety regulations promulgated under section 10(c) of the Federal Power Act. The NOPR proposes revisions to part 12 of FERC’s regulations governing dam safety, including […]
The Course Offerings of Voith’s HydroSchool
Voith Hydro is a complete system supplier that produces turbines and generators for the world’s hydropower stations, from the smallest to the largest. Like many companies, Voith has developed numerous internal training programs to help train new hires and improve the skills of longtime employees. However, it has also opened similar courses up to its […]
Ensuring the Efficiency and Competitiveness of Reclamation’s Hydropower Fleet
The Bureau of Reclamation owns 78 hydroelectric power facilities that supply a capacity of over 15,500 megawatts (MW), of which it directly operates and maintains 53. This puts it second only to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers in terms of its hydropower capacity. Max Spiker is a 32‑year Reclamation veteran who today serves as […]
An Insider’s Look at the Bureau of Reclamation’s Dam Safety Program
The Bureau of Reclamation is internationally recognized as a leader in dam safety. The 1978 Reclamation Safety of Dams Act established an independent dam safety program within Reclamation. This program covers routine dam inspections and evaluations as well as corrective work and repairs and has become the global standard in the dam safety field. In […]
Sharon Powers of the U.S. Society on Dams: Supporting the Dam and Levee Industry
During the first half of 2020, the hydropower industry has been subject to major regulatory changes that are likely to have far-reaching and significant consequences for licensees, regulators, and other stakeholders. These changes include two major rules altering longstanding regulations pertaining to the Clean Water Act (CWA) and the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA); proposed […]
Volume 1 Issue 1 September 2020
By Kris Polly The hydropower industry works on an epic scale. It tames the elemental forces of land and water to turn mountains, valleys, and lakes into power generators. From the Hoover Dam to Grand Coulee, the immenseearly- 20th-century hydroelectric dams that still power the West are familiar images. But hydropower goes beyond vast […]
2020 Mid-Year Hydropower Update
By Morgan Gerard, Elizabeth McCormick, and Chuck Sensiba During the first half of 2020, the hydropower industry has been subject to major regulatory changes that are likely to have far-reaching and significant consequences for licensees, regulators, and other stakeholders. These changes include two major rules altering longstanding regulations pertaining to the Clean Water Act (CWA) […]
NuSTREEM: Bringing Aerospace Ingenuity to the Hydropower Industry
NuSTREEM is a hydropower company whose modular small hydro units use tested, patented intelligence to optimize performance, leading to proven, measurable efficiency gains. With thousands of hours of run time on six preproduction units, NuSTREEM is now launching a pilot program for its NuTECH Controller and is seeking to install more of its units. In […]
Worthington Products: A Worldwide Leader in Waterway Barrier Technology
Paul Meeks, the president of Worthington Products, is on a mission. His company, Worthington Products, is so well known for its orange TUFFBOOM product line that many people overlook Worthington’s other high-density polyethylene (HDPE), steel, and custom-fabricated waterway barrier systems. Worthington is a multidisciplinary designer, manufacturer, and installer of waterway barrier systems made from steel, […]
Garney’s Major Penstock Projects
Garney Construction has worked on several major penstock construction projects across the nation—and difficult ones at that. In one project, the company winched an excavator down a steep Colorado mountain face to dig a trench for a penstock. In this interview, Matt Foster, Garney’s chief operating officer for western pipe operations, tells Hydro Leader about […]