HYDRO 2018

  • 15-17 October
  • Gdansk - Poland

We are pleased to be able to show you highlights of the event from Gdansk, Poland. A full report of the event will be published in issue 6 of Hydropower & Dams.

Read Event Report

HYDRO 2018

  • 15-17 October
  • Gdansk - Poland
Event Report

HYDRO 2018: Progress through Partnerships

World hydro community meets in Gdansk for discussions to advance global hydropower development

Monday 15 October: HYDRO 2018 opened in Gdansk, Poland with opening addresses from senior officers of ICOLD, UNIDO, the International Energy Agency, the World Bank, the Polish Hydropower Association, and Small Hydropower Association.

This event is the 25th annual Europe-based Hydro event to be organized by Aqua~Media; in her opening welcome message, Aqua~Media Director Alison Bartle noted that delegations from about 75 nations were present, including all the leading countries around the world for hydropower development.

She reported on the current role and prospects for hydropower worldwide, and previewed the 36 conference sessions.

Preceding the main conference, two important side events took place on Sunday 14 October:

• the Third Round Table for Large Hydro Plant Operators, led by Itaipu Binacional, with participant from the operators of schemes such as Yacyreta, Three Gorges, Cahora Bassa, and others; and,

• the next in the well established and popular training courses on small hydro, where participants learn in one day how to design a mini hydro scheme.

As always the financial community was well represented at the conference, with representatives of the World Bank, various national development banks and private finance providers as well as financial consultants and experts from the academic world. Luciano Canale of the World Bank gave a talk in which he demonstrated the Bank’s upscaling of support for hydropower, describing hydro as “top of our agenda” in terms of the Bank’s support for renewable energy. Canale also referred to the World Bank’s recently launched new Environmental and Social Framework (ESF4), which focused on a broader range of aspects.

Rana Pratap Singh gave details of how UNIDO could partner with organizations around the world to support small hydro initiatives.

The location of the conference in Gdansk facilitated participation from eastern Europe and Central Asia, and delegations were present from Uzbekistan, Afghanistan, Georgia, Montenegro, Macedonia, Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania, among others.

In the light of extreme climatic events in the past year, which have caused devastation in several regions of the world, including to some water infrastructure, climate resilience and flood management are topics which are high on the agenda, along with various sessions on safety of dams, spillways and powerplants.

In line with the theme of the conference, Progress through Partnerships, there was a session devoted to cross-border collaboration, as well as a session on multipurpose hydro which had presentations on multi-national development of major waterways.

Much focus was given to advancing hydropower development in the less developed countries, and the programme included presentations from a total of 14 African countries and 12 Asian countries, as well as a session dedicated to capacity building and training.

A major technical exhibition ran concurrently with the conference, with about 200 companies in the hydropower and dam engineering profession showcasing their latest activities, and their areas of expertise.

Over three days, representatives of ministries and utilities, powerplant owners and operators, planners, researchers, civil engineers, electromechanical machinery specialists, financiers, academics and environmental and social scientists pooled their expertise, with the common aim of advancing hydropower development in the areas of the world where it is needed most, and also ensuring that existing hydropower stations are operated efficiently and maintained effectively.

A full report of the outcomes of the conference will appear in the next issue of Hydropower & Dams.

 

 

 

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Workshops

We hosted two workshops alongside HYDRO 2018: a small hydro training workshop, organized by Learning Hydro and sponsored by Gilkes; and, the Large Plant Operators Roundtable, organized by Itaipu Binacional.

Opening Ceremony

Keynote speakers from Poland and the international hydro community giving an overview of challenges and progress in the industry. Prof. Anton Schleiss also announced the introduction to the HYDRO events of the Sultan Alam Award in honour of sediment expert Sultan Alam.

Technical sessions

Speakers from around the world discussed topics relevant to all aspects of hydropower and dams. Four parallel sessions gave delegates an opportunity to hear from experts in various sectors of the industry.

Social events

The social programme provided a welcome opportunity for delegates to relax and meet with friends and make new connections.

Accompanying persons' tour

The Accompanying Persons' tour visited many sites of cultural, historic and touristic interest across the three days of the conference. The photos in this section have been kindly provided by Mrs Alberta Gummer.

Technical Exhibition

The Technical Exhibition showcased companies large and small from around the world providing services and technology to the hydro and dams industry. An extended opening on Tuesday evening offered an additional opportunity to network.

Highlights from the event

HYDRO 2018 in Gdansk, Poland, was another successful event in the hydro series. This gallery contains highlights from all aspects of the conference.

HYDRO 2018

  • 15-17 October
  • Gdansk - Poland
Workshops
  • Switch Gallery
    • Workshops
    • Opening Ceremony
    • Technical sessions
    • Social events
    • Accompanying persons' tour
    • Technical Exhibition
    • Highlights from the event

HYDRO 2018

  • 15-17 October
  • Gdansk - Poland
Opening Ceremony
  • Switch Gallery
    • Workshops
    • Opening Ceremony
    • Technical sessions
    • Social events
    • Accompanying persons' tour
    • Technical Exhibition
    • Highlights from the event

HYDRO 2018

  • 15-17 October
  • Gdansk - Poland
Technical sessions
  • Switch Gallery
    • Workshops
    • Opening Ceremony
    • Technical sessions
    • Social events
    • Accompanying persons' tour
    • Technical Exhibition
    • Highlights from the event

HYDRO 2018

  • 15-17 October
  • Gdansk - Poland
Social events
  • Switch Gallery
    • Workshops
    • Opening Ceremony
    • Technical sessions
    • Social events
    • Accompanying persons' tour
    • Technical Exhibition
    • Highlights from the event

HYDRO 2018

  • 15-17 October
  • Gdansk - Poland
Accompanying persons' tour
  • Switch Gallery
    • Workshops
    • Opening Ceremony
    • Technical sessions
    • Social events
    • Accompanying persons' tour
    • Technical Exhibition
    • Highlights from the event

HYDRO 2018

  • 15-17 October
  • Gdansk - Poland
Technical Exhibition
  • Switch Gallery
    • Workshops
    • Opening Ceremony
    • Technical sessions
    • Social events
    • Accompanying persons' tour
    • Technical Exhibition
    • Highlights from the event

HYDRO 2018

  • 15-17 October
  • Gdansk - Poland
Highlights from the event
  • Switch Gallery
    • Workshops
    • Opening Ceremony
    • Technical sessions
    • Social events
    • Accompanying persons' tour
    • Technical Exhibition
    • Highlights from the event

HYDRO 2018

  • 15-17 October
  • Gdansk - Poland
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