If you are currently undergoing or considering uprating and refurbishing hydro power plants, then be sure not to miss IWP&DC's next International conference and exhibition.

To be held from 10-12 December 2001 in the Czech Republic’s picturesque city of Prague, Uprating and Refurbishing Hydro Power Plants VIII will address the most important issues for you.

Areas to be covered include:

• Approaches to refurbishment: condition monitoring and diagnostics; comparing design and current performance and assessing deterioration; selecting scope and timetable for refurbishment; cost-benefit analysis and financing the project.

• Machinery: repair versus replacement, achieving and regaining optimum performance, experience of upgrading turbines, runners, generators, new control systems.

• Civil works: assessing and assuring dam safety, increasing dam height – planning, experience and cost/benefit analysis; flood discharge works and spillway capacity; upgrading, renewing and repairing penstocks and other underground works; sedimentation control; retrofitting hydro power capacity to existing civil works.

• Environment: improving groundwater conditions; ecological requirements around dams and hydro works.

• Case studies: with innovative or unusual technical and financial developments, or where financial, technical or environmental challenges have been overcome.

Are you interested in sharing your experiences with colleagues and submitting a paper on any of the above? If so, send an abstract of up to 500 words, in English, with full contact details for the author(s) to:

Julie Rossiter, Wilmington Publishing, Wilmington House, Maidstone Road, Foots Cray, Sidcup, Kent, DA14 5HZ, UK

Tel: +44 20 8269 7823

Fax: +44 20 8269 7874

Email: jrossiter@wilmington.co.uk.

Please note the conference language will be English. Papers may be accepted for oral or poster presentation and will be accepted only if the author or co-author undertakes to attend the meeting to present the paper.

Papers will be assessed under the guidance of conference chairman Geoff Sims, vice president, icold; consultant, Brown & Root.

For all general enquiries contact Julie Rossiter as above.

Uprating and refurbishing Hydro Power Plants VIII is supported by CZCOLD.