Conference Program Schedule

Location: Sauf Haus Bier Hall , 1216 18th St NW, Washington, DC 20036 (top floor)

This is a ticketed off-site event. Not included with conference registration. Location: DeSales Restaurant. PURCHASE TICKETS HERE

Waterpower Week begins with a special appearance by Bureau of Reclamation Deputy Commissioner David Palumbo.

Then, the focus turns to growth and how waterpower is contributing to meeting a clean energy grid.

Whether it’s adding new hydro at existing dams, placing small hydro units on water supply conduits or irrigation canals, developing new pumped storage, getting marine energy projects in the water, or modernizing and expanding existing facilities, now is the time!

Hear about specific progress occurring in the various sectors of the industry and the keys to making it happen.

Join your waterpower colleagues for coffee and networking!

Attendees will get an up-to-the minute report on the status of proposed extension and expansion of the hydropower and marine energy tax credits. Also hear insight from staffers on Capitol Hill about new climate- and clean energy-related legislation with potential impacts for waterpower.

Building greenfield small hydro, new small hydropower at existing dams, and getting marine energy devices in the water all require funding … and lots of it! What finance options are successful developers using to advance their projects? Are there new, innovative approaches that project proponents chould use?

Learn how to effectively consult and collaborate with tribes, become familiar with available resources and guidance, and hear examples from tribal representatives of what works and what doesn’t.

The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission has made the largest changes to its safety-related regulations since 1981 and accepted four new chapters of the commission’s Engineering Guidelines. What do all these changes mean for hydropower?Dave Capka, director of the Division of Dam Safety and Inspections in FERC’s Office of Energy Projects, provides a briefing and answers your questions on the new regulations and what they mean for licensees.

Hear perspectives from purchasers of clean energy – representatives of the federal government as well as private companies. What are they seeking? What do they think about hydro? Can hydro contribute to a company’s “24/7 carbon free” strategy (in which carbon-free electricity is used in every hour of operation)? Gain ideas of what owners and developers of water powered-projects can do to better position themselves to sell electricity to corporate buyers.

Federal resource agency program staff will provide updates from their respective agencies on recent developments. This discussion will then be followed by a dialogue with additional agency staff on where they see the role of technology innovation in helping fulfill their missions and providing possible solutions to agency challenges.

Network informally with your colleagues across the industry. Lunch is included with your event registration.

This session focuses on two important initiatives for the waterpower sector:

1) Getting the value of hydro better recognized and compensated in wholesale electricity markets designs

2) working to amplifying the message to policy makers of the crucial importance of waterpower to a clean energy grid.

Hear from influencers about why these initiatives matter, progress underway, and what work lies ahead.

Raise your voice to your Congressional representatives! Plan on spending the afternoon on Tuesday, April 5 sharing your stories with Members of Congress and their staff. Learn how to request a meeting here For questions, contact Will Pisano at will@hydro.org.

Between meetings with Congressional offices, you can engage with staff from federal resource agencies and/or U.S. Department of Energy Water Power Technologies Office … right at the Capital Hilton Hotel.
Federal Resource Agencies: Federal B Room, 2 p.m. to 3 p.m.
U.S. Department of Energy Water Power Technologies Office: Senate Room, 2 p.m. to 2:30 p.m.; 3 p.m. to 3:30 p.m.; other times by appointment

Location: Capital Hilton. This event is included with your conference registration.

Special appearance by Congressman Dan Newhouse!

Ticketed networking social event for NHA Future Leaders of Waterpower (FLOW) and Young Professionals. Location: Crown & Crow.

All are welcome to celebrate women in the waterpower industry.

Special Appearance by Congresswoman Kim Schrier of Washington State.

This networking event will include a breakfast, an update on the Women in Hydro Mentorship program, and featured speaker, Debbie Gray, Climate Policy Manager, International Hydropower Association (IHA).

This is a ticketed event.

Start the day with a cup of coffee and networking.

First, FERC Chair Richard Glick provides his perspective on waterpower, its unique role in a transition to a clean energy economy, and the work of the Commission on key issues impacting the sector.
Then, hear from Special Guest Congresswoman Ann Kuster (D-New Hampshire), who was instrumental in getting the waterpower-related provisions in the Infrastructure Act.

Finally, listen to representatives of the conservation community, tribes, and the hydropower industry who are working on a mammoth effort to negotiate proposed changes to the Federal Power Act to reform hydropower licensing.

A great opportunity to network with your colleagues in between sessions.

In this fast-paced session, attendees will get an up-to-the-minute report on legal and regulatory issues of importance to the waterpower community, including new, emerging policies and their potential impact.

Discussion items include: the status of legal cases involving Section 401 of the Clean Water Act; FERC’s work and upcoming technical conference on requiring additional financial assurance mechanisms in licenses; and the Biden Administration’s Justice40 initiative that calls for federal funding, including investments in energy and the environment, to deliver at least 40% of benefits to marginalized communities.

Marine energy is poised to be a critical component in efforts to decarbonize the domestic energy portfolio. Learn about the progress being made to deploy marine energy technologies. Discuss how government support for critical research, development, demonstration, and deployment … along with aligning regulatory processes to the development stage … are key to igniting commercizliation of the marine energy sector.

The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission’s Division of Hydro Administration and Compliance — DHAC — ensures compliance with the Federal Power Act, FERC regulations, and the terms and conditions of licenses and exemptions.Here’s your opportunity to learn more about its work, how it’s organized, and who are the key staff.Get answers for how best to work with the FERC staff who are responsible for everything from administrating license requirements, inspecting site conditions, processing amendment applications, to investigating compliance.
Added Bonus! Just Confirmed: Meet and Hear from the Deputy Director of FERC’s new Office of Public Participation.

Special Tribute and Presentation of Legislator of the Year Award

The Late Congressman Don Young (R-Alaska)

Following the presentation, enjoy lunch and network informally with your colleagues across the industry. Lunch is included with your event registration.

The U.S. Department of Energy’s Water Power Technologies Office supports a diverse range of activities to increase utilization of the nation’s abundant water-powered resources. Hear from leaders in the office what’s in store for future investments in conventional hydropower, pumped storage, and marine energy.

Reliability and climate change are coming increasingly into focus for the electric power transmisison grid in the western U.S. As some western states chart ambitious paths toward decarbonization, there is a growing recognition that regions in the West need to work together to maintain reliablity and resilience during the energy transition. Get up to speed on the evolving Western markets and the challenges (and opportunities) these may offer the hydropower industry.

Gain useful insight from individuals “in the trenches” who offer recommendations, lessons learned, and viewpoints about how to effectively interact with agencies and stakeholders in relicensing proceedings.

Chat with colleagues over coffee!

The 2021 Infrastructure and Investment Jobs Act contains so much detail and complexity. Overcome the overwhelming.This session helps break down what’s in the new law and what’s most significant for waterpower, including financial incentives for investing in both new and existing facilities and for electricity production, funding for dam safety and dam removal, funding for marine energy, and more.

Storage in electricity markets is the foundation for a 100% clean energy future. More and more, policy makers hear the promise of new storage technologies.

How do we successfully tell our industry’s story? What data can we use to bolster our claims about the immense benefits of pumped storage hydro?

As discussions in Congress and at Statehouses focus on the need for long-duration storage how do we ensure pumped storage is “at the table” instead of just “on the menu” in these discussions?

How can the industry cut through the noise to ensure that pumped storage is seen as a vital part of our storage future?

What progress is being made and what is the “call to action” for industry?

Bonus! Also in this session, hear from the U.S. Department of Energy about new tools available for quantifying the value of pumped storage.

Deciding which “next step” to take if a project is no longer providing value is rarely straightforward. What are the options? What needs to be taken into consideration? What does the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission expect? How to control escalating costs of decommissioing?

Across the globe, waterpower is being viewed as a significant contributor toward meeting climate and clean energy goals. Hear what’s happening worldwide with development of conventional hydro, pumped storage, and marine energy, and how U.S. companies are uniquely positioned to contribute to this growth.

If you are looking for funding for a proposed project, this workshop is highly recommended. The DOE’s Loan Program Office staff will walk you through its offerings, how to apply for a loan, and guide you in maneveuring through the process.

The workshop also includes a “listening” session, where DOE staff hears the insights of individual developers regarding their specific financing challenges and pain points.
Finally, the workshop provides time for each attendee to get one-on-one time with LPO staff to discuss specific projects.

Agenda
LPO Overview
– Overview of LPO mission (bridge to bankability)
– Available programs for waterpower (especially low impact hydro, PSH, repowering existing dams)
– Key challenges we’ve seen for waterpower projects
– Overview of LPO process and how to engage with LPO

Insights from developers
Audience Q&A
Breakout: One-on-one pre-application consultations with LPO staff

The waterpower industry is seeking to “up its game” in the public affairs arena. In this workshop, you’ll gain specific techniques and strategies for how to effectively engage with media and with stakeholders, to promote your projects and your companies and to get desired results.

The workshop explores communications and waterpower through three distinct lens:
— news
— industry
— government

The workshop will kick-off with a Q&A discussion on clean energy media trends with Maxine Joselow, a reporter with the Washington Post.

Next, we will explore strategies for engaging the media with waterpower industry communicators.

And to cap off the workshop, we will host a discussion with government communications pros to learn to discover how federal agencies are messaging waterpower.

Workshop Agenda
10:15 am – 10:45 am: Panel Discussion – Uncommon Dialogue Overview: Where We’ve Been, Where We’re Going
10:45 am – 11:15 am: Working Groups “Round Robin”
11:15 am – 12:15 pm: Uncommon Dialogue “Open House”

Brush Up On the Basics!

Gain a basic understanding of how wholesale electricity markets work and how hydro gets compensated.

Understanding how markets work, how hydro assets are being called upon to contribute, and how hydro is paid for the various services it provides is crucial for anyone working in hydro, no matter what your “day job” is.

This “Markets 101” overview promises to be informative and enlightening.
A unique offering for the industry you won’t want to miss!

By Invitation Only

This invitation-only informal discussion with the Corps of Engineers continues a dialogue started in Atlanta in October 2021 during the National Hydropower Association’s Clean Currents conference + tradeshow.