| Condition monitoring


must incorporate environmental data such as hydrological forecasts, sediment dynamics, and climate projections. This integration will allow operators to manage both structural safety and ecological performance, ensuring long-term sustainability.


● Cybersecurity and digital infrastructure: As plants adopt Internet of Things (IoT) devices, cloud-based analytics, and digital twins, cybersecurity becomes a critical challenge. Ensuring data integrity and protecting systems from cyber attacks is essential, especially given the strategic importance of hydropower within national grids.


● Human factors and training: The success of condition monitoring systems also depends on operators’ ability to interpret and act on monitoring outputs. There is a need for user- friendly interfaces, explainable AI methods that clarify why alarms are triggered, and continuous training of personnel to integrate condition monitoring into daily decision-making


The authors say that the overarching trend in condition monitoring is unmistakable. The field is being transformed by data-driven AI and IoT technologies, enabling a shift from reactive maintenance to predictive and prescriptive strategies. They believe future research must focus on the integration of these technologies into robust, scalable, and trustworthy digital twin frameworks that can deliver on the promise of maximising hydropower’s reliability and sustainability. They also identified gaps in the literature, with a low amount of research on spillways and pipelines and suggest research on this area and faults other than cavitation should also be extended.


Kazakhstan dam breach As Talgarbayeva et al reiterate in their study


published in Frontiers in Earth Science, assessing the condition of hydraulic structures is critical to minimise risks to the population and infrastructure in the event of their collapse. With the focus of their paper on the causes of the Voroshilov dam breach in Kazakhstan in 2024, the authors used Satellite Radar Interferometry (InSAR) and Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR) profiling for their research. There are more than 1502 hydraulic structures


in Kazakhstan, including 247 dams, 461 weirs, 405 reservoirs, 271 ponds and 118 hydraulic complexes of various departmental affiliation and forms of ownership. With the technical condition of some of these described as being extremely unsatisfactory, annual damages from flooding is estimated in the region of tens of millions of US dollars throughout the country. One of the largest floods in Kazakhstan over the past 80 years occurred during the spring of 2024. It lasted for about two months, leading to the breakthrough of dams and levees in the western region of the country. Ten regions in total were affected, with flood damage impacting 224 settlements and 17,603 residential buildings. The Voroshilov Reservoir is located on the Zharmukhamet and Boraldai Rivers. Commissioned in 1910 for irrigation purposes, the 180m long and 8.5m high Voroshilov earth dam was reconstructed


4% (7)


5% (9)


6% (10)


7% (12)


15% (26)


20% (35)


in 1970 and reinforced with concrete. Talgarbayeva et al’s comprehensive InSAR and GPR study revealed a key factor in the Voroshilov Reservoir dam break wase critically high moisture saturation of the dam body (even after drainage). This provoked intense filtration, soil erosion and progressive internal erosion, leading to destruction. The authors say the results of their study “convincingly demonstrate” the critical importance of regular and comprehensive assessment of the technical condition of hydraulic structures, including the use of ground and remote sensing methods. They add that timely preventive repair work based on the results of such monitoring can significantly reduce the potential damage from the harmful effects of water and prevent catastrophic accidents. Taking into consideration the results of their


comprehensive monitoring and the identified factors that led to the destruction of the Voroshilov dam, the authors recommend introducing regular remote monitoring of the condition of Kazakhstan’s dams. They add that climatic, geotechnical and seismic features of the territories, must also be taken into consideration to minimise the risk of destruction and increase the reliability of hydraulic structures. Furthermore, developing integrated methods for monitoring hydraulic structures that combine remote sensing (InSAR, aerolidar) with ground- based geophysical surveys (GPR, geodesy, filtration control) will also be valuable.


References


A comprehensive review of condition monitoring systems for hydropower stations: Technologies, applications, and future trends by Fausto Pedro García Marquez, Alfredo Peinado Gonzalo, and Mayorkinos Papaelias. Electric Power Systems Research 251 (2026) 112339.https://doi.org/10.1016/j. epsr.2025.112339


InSAR monitoring of dam deformations in a seismically active region of Kazakhstan for identifying precursors of failure by Talgarbayeva D, Vilyaev A, Dedova T, Kuznetsova O and Jangulova G (2025). Front. Earth Sci. 13:1638088. doi: 10.3389/feart.2025.1638088


www.waterpowermagazine.com | June 2026 | 37


The proportion of publications per monitored component https://doi.org/10.1016/j. epsr.2025.112339


35% (61)


3% (5)


3% (5)


1% (2)


Turbine Dam Generator Bearings Transformer Penstock Draft tube Reservoir Shaft Forebay/Surge tank Spillways


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