JSC RusHydro has signed a deal that will see the Russian energy conglomerate manage and modernize a pair of hydroelectric projects in Nigeria.

Utility company Seattle City Light has announced its plan to rehabilitate to spillway gates at the Gorge Dam in Newhalem this summer, requiring water levels in Gorge Lake to be lowered for the work.

JSC RusHydro has secured a US$25 million loan from the Asian Development Bank (ADB) that will be used for the modernization of hydropower projects in Armenia's Sevan-Hrazdan Cascade.

A contract signed by state-owned power company Electricidade de Mozambique (EdM) and a French consortium will allow for the repair of the Mavuzi and Chicamba hydropower plants.

Austrian utility Verbund Hydro Power AG has selected Alstom to renovate two generators in its Kaprun Hauptstufe hydroelectric plant.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has awarded a US$315,212 contract to Skyward Construction Inc. to supply replacement hoists on the north shore fishway entrance at the 810-MW Little Goose hydropower project.

German development bank Kreditanstalt fur Wiederaufbau (KfW) has announced it will provide US$23.5 million for renovations of the Chicamba and Mavuzi hydroelectric plants, as per terms of a contract signed with power company Electricidade de Mozambique (EdM).

Work continues as the United States Coast Guard and U.S. Army Corps of Engineers continue salvage operations at Marseilles Lock and Dam, where several barges came to rest against the dam structure after breaking free from their towing vessel this past week.

Report card gives America's dams a "D" grade

Using a newly installed condition monitoring system, the owner of the 485-MW pumped-storage plant at Kinzua Dam has been able to monitor the supervisory parameters and rotor air gaps. This system has allowed the utility to establish a series of baseline characteristics for the three units in each available operating mode.

When the turbine guide bearings installed at several hydroelectric plants in the U.S. suffered short lives and significant wear, the owners turned to lignum vitae material. Their experience has shown that this material, although more costly, can provide longer service life than composite and plastic bearing materials.

PPL Montana has completed a US$209 million expansion of its Rainbow Dam hydroelectric plant, ending a three-and-a-half year construction project and ensuring its productivity for decades to come.