Waterpower XVI was 2009’s largest gathering of hydro professionals worldwide. More than 2,100 hydro professionals traveled from 43 countries to Spokane, Washington, USA, to discover new roles for hydro in a changing world. Attendees learned about the latest trends and heard from more than 250 speakers in a myriad of symposiums, technical paper presentations, and roundtable discussions on the current issues within the hydropower market.

They also spent time in the Waterpower exhibit hall, packed with 289 companies featuring technologies and services for solving regulatory and technical challenges.

Lunches and receptions in the exhibit hall provided opportunities to learn about new services, see new products in action, and network with peers. Waterpower attendees also took part in workshops, technical hydro plant tours, and professional meetings co-located at the event.

Also during Waterpower, the Hydro Training Institute held its Hydro Basics Course. More than 70 individuals new to hydro participated in the course. The faculty -- industry experts – lectured on the basic principles of hydropower, hydraulic structures, hydro equipment, the power system, regulation, and environmental stewardship.

The Waterpower conference’s opening plenary session featured short addresses from Scott Morris and Phil Moeller. Morris is chairman of the board, president and chief executive officer of Avista Corporation. Moeller serves as commissioner of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission.

The opening session also featured three lively keynote speakers who addressed the global trends most likely to shape our energy future. They covered energy resources, markets, and politics. Nuclear physicist Thomas W. O’Donnell explored the world’s primary energy resources and how they’re changing. International economics expert Michael Toman covered the forces that shape worldwide energy markets and the trends which are emerging. Editorial director Peter Kemp enlightened attendees on the political situations applicable to energy resource exploitation.

In the conference’s closing plenary session, author and environmentalist Trevor Turpin entertained the audience with excerpts from his book, Dams: the Battleground of Sustainable Development, and his more than 35 years of experience in the water industry.

The Waterpower event Conference and Exhibition is offered in odd-numbered years.

PennWell’s next hydro event in North America will be HydroVision International, July 27-30, 2010, in Charlotte, North Carolina, USA. We look forward to seeing you there!

To learn more about HydroVision International, visit www.hydroevent.com.