| Large dams
“This agreement fits the Vassfall strategy of being the preferred service provider of water course safety, to dam owners and hydro power producers on the North European market”. Hasle also stresses that both existing and new customers and cooperation partners will experience the same quality level, service and availability as before. Aqua Guardian was originally established in 2000 and has been designing and developing equipment and methods both for operational safety and as a safety measure for third parties both in lakes and in rivers under challenging North European conditions.
Vattenfall Vattenfall’s personnel at the Stornorrforsen hydro power plant have successfully employed AI technology to identify fish based on multiple characteristics, and they aim to develop the technology further. The interaction between energy production and nature is complex, as exemplified by hydropower plants and migrating fish. Vattenfall installed a fish ladder at Stornorrforsen to aid the migration of fish past the power plant, and they subsequently developed a fish recognition system to monitor, categorize, and analyze fish movements. The algorithms can recognize features such as size,
presence of fungal attacks, and whether the fish is wild or farmed. The technology helps to control which fish travel up and down the fish ladders and monitor the evolution of species over time. The system also has the potential to detect invasive species, such as black gobies, which can reproduce rapidly, deplete food resources, and harm other species. Vattenfall intends to make the fish recognition technology available to anyone who needs it. Gender recognition of spawning salmon is a challenging characteristic to identify. Vattenfall’s staff currently perform this task manually and visually. The company is developing an AI system that can recognize gender, but it is not yet as reliable as human recognition. The system will undergo testing during the next season. The goal is to improve the system’s accuracy and make it an efficient tool for gender recognition. Vattenfall’s laboratory that works with fish
recognition is unique in its technical capabilities and transparency. The company collaborates with universities to disseminate results and provides over 20,000 annotated fish images on their website for anyone to use in creating new algorithms. The company’s open approach to sharing knowledge and experience has garnered interest from industry colleagues worldwide. Patrik Andreasson, Specialist for Research & Development at Vattenfall, reports that only a few weeks ago they were visited by the French power company EDF and received a great deal of interest in learning about their data and experiences from industry colleagues in Norway, Canada, the US and Germany. “It is a conscious choice on our part to be so open and accessible, a choice that everyone supports. As long as there is no competitive advantage to holding on to information, there is no reason to keep things secret, on the contrary. In the area of fish migration and large-scale hydro power, there is such sparse knowledge and so many opinions that we want new knowledge we learn to be passed on and increases
the facts-based foundation.” Vattenfall often collaborates with universities. Not
only are they good at analysing material but also at disseminating results. In addition, the website has more than 20,000 annotated images that anyone can use for creating new algorithms. “Such images are hard currency for anyone working with fish recognition. We have no intention of making this into a product. Instead, we are keen to make the material available to everyone.”
WSP
WSP Global Inc has completed its previously announced acquisition of Lausanne-based BG Bonnard & Gardel Holding SA, one of Switzerland’s leading engineering consulting firms, following the unanimous approval of BG’s shareholders. With some 700 professionals based primarily in
Switzerland and France, as well as a minor presence in Portugal and Italy, BG offers consulting, engineering, and project management services in the infrastructure, building, water, environment, and energy sectors. In line with WSP’s Global Strategic Action Plan, the acquisition of BG reinforces WSP’s foothold in Europe while increasing its Swiss workforce fourfold to over 600 professionals and almost doubling its staff in France. “We are thrilled to begin 2023 by welcoming BG’s highly skilled professionals to the WSP family. Together, we have a great opportunity to further strengthen our European business, thanks to our increased presence in Switzerland and France and our enhanced offering to clients in our core markets, as well as in key fast-growing sectors, including Environment, Renewable Energy, and Water,” said Alexandre L’Heureux, WSP’s President and CEO. “I am also very pleased to welcome Pierre Epars, BG’s current CEO, as WSP’s new CEO for the Western European region.” “It is an exciting time for BG’s professionals to join WSP’s growing European business,” said Mark Naysmith, WSP’s CEO for the UK, Europe, the Middle East, and Africa. “Our goal will be to create strong, long-lasting relationships with our clients by providing the best mix of value and services as their number-one choice.” “We are delighted to officially join WSP and to continue our work as part of a larger organization dedicated to serving people and the environment,” added Pierre Epars, BG’s CEO. “As I take up my new role, I am honored to have this opportunity to help grow WSP’s business in Western Europe. I am convinced we will accomplish great things by joining forces.”
Below: AI technology has been employed at the at the Stornorrforsen hydropower plant in Sweden to identify fish based on multiple characteristics Photo by Tage Olsin
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