Logo

Ready to green your grey infrastructure? Discover Ecoreef →

1,333,018 Meters OF MARINE BARRIERS AND COUNTING Live LIVE

Ecocoast at HYDRO 2026
Published on 06 Oct ‘26
Ecocoast at HYDRO 2026 in Bologna
Ecocoast at HYDRO 2026 in Bologna

Ecocoast is exhibiting at HYDRO 2026 in Bologna, Italy, from October 14 to 16, 2026. HYDRO 2026 is organised by Aqua~Media International, publisher of The International Journal on Hydropower & Dams, and this year’s theme is “Adapting to change ~ Embracing opportunities”.

You will find us at stand 206. Our team will be there all three days to talk about debris control, infrastructure safety, sediment control and water quality monitoring for dams and reservoirs.

HYDRO 2026 at a glance

Dates: 14-16 October 2026
Venue: Bologna Congress Center, Bologna, Italy
Ecocoast stand: 206
Conference paper: Session 6: Dam Safety and Monitoring

Why we are at HYDRO 2026

At Ecocoast, we build safer, cleaner and more sustainable waterways and reservoirs. For hydropower operators that usually comes down to 4 problems, and we have spent years working on them.

Debris reaching the intake. Watercraft drifting into hazardous zones. Sediment released during in-water works. And no early warning when water quality changes.

HYDRO 2026 brings together the people who deal with these every day – dam owners, operators, consultants and contractors. That’s why we are there.

Why Bologna matters this year

Italy has nearly 25.93GW of hydro capacity, and more than half of the country’s hydro plants are now over 40 years old. ENEL Green Power and other operators are running a large repowering and refurbishment campaign across around 20 powerplants.

Refurbishment is where a lot of our work sits. Retrofitting debris control or a safety barrier to a dam built decades ago is a different problem from designing one into a new scheme. It’s the conversation we expect to have most often in Bologna.

What we are showing at stand 206

The problem Our solution
Debris and floating material block the intake Debris control – Bolina Log Screen Booms and Bolina Permanent Debris Booms
Watercraft drift into spillways and intakes Infrastructure safety – Bolina Watercraft Safety Booms, demarcation buoys and lighting
Works stir up sediment and raise turbidity Sediment control – Ecobarrier Silt Curtains
No warning before a problem reaches the intake Water quality control – Data buoys in partnership with Xylem

Every barrier is engineered to the individual site. Loads, anchoring and ballast are calculated using our proprietary Boomforce and Marineforce software, using digital twin principles, so what you see on the stand is the starting point rather than the finished specification.

Our solutions for hydropower and dams.

Michael Sims is presenting in Session 6

Michael Sims, our Regional Business Development Manager for International Markets, is presenting a technical paper in Session 6: Dam safety and monitoring – II, on the afternoon of Wednesday 14 October from 14.00. The session is chaired by Dr Enrique Cifres of eWater, Spain.

The paper is “Mitigating public safety risks in high-interaction reservoirs: A technical case study of the Lairg dam safety upgrade”.

It covers a floating safety boom installed at Lairg Dam on Loch Shin in Scotland. The paper works through the real constraints of the project – a 5.79m water level range, limited hydraulic data, and anchoring that had to stay within the client’s own land. It closes with a framework other dam owners can apply to their own sites.

If you cannot make the session, come to stand 206 and we’ll talk you through it.

Finding us across the three days

The exhibition opens on the morning of Wednesday 14 October, straight after the opening plenary. All lunches and refreshment breaks take place in the exhibition hall, so there’s plenty of time to come by without missing a session.

There’s also a networking party in the exhibition area on the evening of Thursday 15 October, after the sessions close. We’ll be there.

Come and talk to us

Joachim de Jenlis, our CEO, and Michael Sims will be on stand 206 for all three days. If you have a site with a debris, safety, sediment or monitoring problem, bring it to us. We’d rather look at your actual situation than hand you a brochure.

If you’d like to set up a time to talk, email [email protected] and we will get something in the diary before the show.

EcoCoast

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

HYDRO 2026 takes place from 14 to 16 October 2026 at the Bologna Congress Center in Bologna, Italy. It is organised by Aqua~Media International.

Ecocoast is at stand 206 for all three days of the exhibition.

We solve 4 key problems at dams and reservoirs: debris reaching the intake, watercraft drifting into hazardous zones, sediment released during in-water works, and no early warning when water quality changes. Depending on the site, that means debris and log screen booms, watercraft safety booms, silt curtains, or water quality monitoring buoys.

We handle the whole lifecycle ourselves – design and engineering, manufacturing, installation, maintenance, relocation, removal and recycling, depending on the location. Every barrier is engineered to the individual site rather than taken off a shelf, with loads, anchoring and ballast calculated using our own Boomforce and Marineforce software.

Yes. Michael Sims is presenting "Mitigating public safety risks in high-interaction reservoirs: A technical case study of the Lairg dam safety upgrade" in Session 6, Dam safety and monitoring – II, on Wednesday 14 October from 14.00.

EcoCoast Related Blog Posts

EcoCoast

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

HYDRO 2026 takes place from 14 to 16 October 2026 at the Bologna Congress Center in Bologna, Italy. It is organised by Aqua~Media International.

Ecocoast is at stand 206 for all three days of the exhibition.

We solve 4 key problems at dams and reservoirs: debris reaching the intake, watercraft drifting into hazardous zones, sediment released during in-water works, and no early warning when water quality changes. Depending on the site, that means debris and log screen booms, watercraft safety booms, silt curtains, or water quality monitoring buoys.

We handle the whole lifecycle ourselves – design and engineering, manufacturing, installation, maintenance, relocation, removal and recycling, depending on the location. Every barrier is engineered to the individual site rather than taken off a shelf, with loads, anchoring and ballast calculated using our own Boomforce and Marineforce software.

Yes. Michael Sims is presenting "Mitigating public safety risks in high-interaction reservoirs: A technical case study of the Lairg dam safety upgrade" in Session 6, Dam safety and monitoring – II, on Wednesday 14 October from 14.00.

Get in touch with us today to learn more about our end-to-end solutions! Our team of marine experts is ready to assist you.