| 75th Anniversary
What trends are you noticing in the hydropower market currently? Pumped storage remains a significant trend due to its efficiency in large-scale energy storage. Additionally, there’s a growing emphasis on social and environmental considerations, which we’re actively addressing to promote sustainable hydro solutions.
How do you engage with local communities regarding your projects? We conduct thorough investigations and implement innovative solutions to address concerns such as fish migration and environmental impact. This approach ensures community involvement and fosters sustainable practices, both in new projects and existing ones.
Can you provide some examples of the projects AFRY worked on? One project worth mentioning is the Nant de Drance project, a 900MW pumped storage scheme where both Pöyry and AFRY played significant roles. Another project that stands out is the Nam Theun
1 project, where we set a world record for RCC placement in a single month. This accomplishment underscores our commitment to building structures efficiently, safely, and with environmental sustainability in mind. Our focus on sustainability drives us to continuously improve our practices in projects. A project nearing completion is the Pinnapuram
project, an integrated solar, wind and pumped storage project in India. We’re proud to deliver our own engineering services for this exciting endeavor. We’re seeing a rise in multi-disciplinary projects combining solar, wind, and hydro, particularly in regions like India where there’s a strong emphasis on transitioning to renewable energy.
What is the most common type of dam project you work on? We work on a wide range of dam projects, encompassing various types and sizes. Dam construction and safety are integral aspects of our business, and we’re focused on expanding our global offerings in this area. Additionally, we undertake multipurpose projects for flood retention, water treatment, and freshwater supply to urban areas.
How do you ensure sustainability is integrated into these projects? We often serve as owner’s engineers, assisting with design and providing input to drive sustainability initiatives within projects. Our approach involves leveraging both our local and global knowledge to adapt sustainability practices. This includes incorporating new technologies such as fish-friendly turbines into both rehabilitation and new build projects.
How does AFRY maintain its global reach and business operations? Our global presence is reinforced by our team’s extensive international experience, with many of our 600 employees having worked in diverse contexts. Internally, we develop traveler programs to familiarize new hires with cultural differences and collaboration methods. The COVID-19 situation has also facilitated remote work, enabling us to maintain our global operations more efficiently. Externally, building local
connections with clients and stakeholders is essential for us to remain a global player in the hydro industry.
How is your company addressing the impending retirement of many experienced professionals in the hydropower industry, and how are you attracting younger engineers? We prioritize effective onboarding processes to integrate new talent into our workforce, resulting in a low attrition rate. However, our focus now is on actively attracting more individuals to our industry, particularly young engineers. We are working to increase awareness of our hydropower initiatives at AFRY, leveraging our rich history and heritage in the field. We’re also exploring ways to foster diversity within our workforce, particularly concerning gender representation. While we’ve made progress in this area, we’re continuously evolving our strategies to enhance diversity and inclusion across different cultures and regions.
Regarding the future of hydropower, what do you anticipate will be the major challenges? Looking ahead, key trends in hydropower will include the prominence of pumped storage and growing emphasis on social and environmental considerations. Addressing financing issues in certain regions will also be crucial. To stay ahead in the industry, we’re committed to adapting to market dynamics, providing cutting-edge services, and leveraging our extensive knowledge and global presence in hydro. Technological innovation, particularly in pumped storage configurations, will also play a significant role. Moreover, streamlining implementation processes, from construction to installation, will be essential for future success.
How do you plan to maintain your position as an industry leader? We’re focusing on prioritizing specific offerings identified for special treatment and emphasizing our global initiatives. Recently, we arranged for our CEO to visit one of our projects in Southeast Asia to showcase our operations in the vertical. This hands-on approach underscores our commitment to excellence and innovation, ensuring that our work speaks for itself. Seeing our projects in action reinforces our dedication to maintaining our position at the forefront of the industry.
www.waterpowermagazine.com | May 2024 | 51
Above: The Nant de Drance pumped storage facility is one of the most powerful pumped storage plants in Europe and has a storage capacity of 25 million m³. AFRY was commissioned by the client in 2002 to develop this project and to bring it to implementation maturity via the feasibility study, the preliminary, construction and conditional project as well as via the tenders
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