State-owned power company Administracion Nacional de Usinas y Transmisiones Electricas (UTE) has announced its plan to develop a 70 MW hydroelectric project on Uruguay's Rio Negro, sources report.

The Panama Hydroelectrical Development Company has received an extension from utilities regulator Autoridad Nacional de los Servicios Publicos (Asep) to complete work on the 28-MW Santa Maria hydroelectric project.

Recent transactions by SN Power will better allow it to focus on hydroelectric power development, the Oslo-based company said.

Work at the controversial Belo Monte hydropower plants has been delayed once more as representatives from a number of indigenous groups have occupied one of the project's three construction sites.

Mexico's congress has changed its renewable energy and energy transition law to include larger hydroelectric projects in the country's definition of "renewable", provided they satisfy a certain criteria.

Brazil's Agencia Nacional de Energia Eletricqa (ANEEL) has given the go-ahead for commercial operation of the Cavernoso 2 micro hydro plant.

A recent operations report from Furnas said the Brazilian utility will increase its hydroelectric project investments in an effort to meet the anticipated demand caused by the 2014 FIFA World Cup and 2016 Olympic Games -- both of which are being hosted by the South American country.

Voith Hydro has been selected to provide electromechanical equipment for the 8.4-MW El Guineo small hydropower project in the Mexican state Guerrero.

PennWell Corporation, a diversified global media and information company, announced today the official opening of PennWell do Brasil Holdings Ltda. in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

Costa Rica's state-owned utility Instituto Costarricense de Electricidad (ICE) has begun operations of its 49-MW Toro 3 hydropower project.

Brazil's 14,000-MW Itaipu hydroelectric plant has established a new first quarter output record of 24.8 TWh, according to operator Itaipu Binacional.

A request by Brazilian Minister of Mining and Energy Edison Lobao has led to the deployment of troops at the 11.2-GW Belo Monte hydroelectric plant.

Peruvian private investment agency ProInversion has awarded a contract to develop the Molloco hydroelectric project to CEE, the group announced.

Ecuadorian hydropower developer Hidroenergetico del Litoral (Hidrolitoral) will soon begin design studies for a pair of new hydroelectric projects, HydroWorld.com has learned.

By Eurico de Carvalho-Filho, Iara P.G. Machado, Humberto Jacobsen Teixeira, Gabriel S.C. Rocha and Maria Tereza F.R. Campos
To develop a historical flow profile for hydro projects in Brazil's Tapajos River Basin, a mathematical model was used. Data from this model filled gaps in measurements available from rainflow gauging stations, and data generated correlated well with available rainflow measurements.