HYDROFORUM 2021 is already the 10th edition of Polish Hydropower Conferences, organised ever since 2011 by the Polish Hydropower Association (TEW), …

… the Szewalski Institute of Fluid-Flow Machinery of the Polish Academy of Sciences (IMP PAN) and the Polish Association for Small Hydropower Development (TRMEW). The conference debate was originally planned to debate on October 13-14th in the lecture hall of Szewalski Institute of Fluid-Flow Machinery of the Polish Academy of Sciences (IMP PAN) in Gdansk. However, due to very high interest in the event, some other venues are now under consideration as well. Hybrid formula has been selected in view of continued risk of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Polish Hydropower Conferences continue the tradition of HYDROFORUM hydraulic turbomachinery conferences organised in the period between 1973 and 2005 by the IMP PAN. Since the very beginning, the conferences were focused on hydropower problems which heavily predominated the debate since the beginning of 1990-ies. In their current formula, the HYDROFORUM events represent a platform for discussing challenges encountered by the hydropower sector in Poland and in Europe in view of changes in its legal & administrative constraints, but also capabilities resulting from the available potential technology and environmental requirements. On the other hand, the HYDROFORUM conferences serve also exchange of opinions and information on the prospects and observed trends in sector development, experience on erection and operation of hydropower installations, new solutions to technical problems and the results of R&D efforts. The ambition of the organisers is to keep healthy balance between all these segments – so as to support the interpenetration of various groups of professionals linked to the hydropower sector.

Despite their naming, the Polish Hydropower Conferences are international meetings attended mainly by delegates from the Central-Eastern and Northern Europe. The debate is carried out in Polish and English, with simultaneous interpretation. The central item of the agenda is the HYDROFORUM Panel Debate, generally oriented on the sector problems in Poland and within the region. Competent representatives of central offices, widely conceived hydropower sector and research centres as well as independent experts are invited to the panel. However, other delegates present at the conference hall are always invited to express their  opinions during the open discussion. This year, the main topic of the HYDROFORUM Debate will be the role of hydropower in the energy transition in Poland and within the region.

In 2018 the tradition of linking the conference with study visits at hydropower installations was restored. Such an initiative is well justified by numerous rehabilitation projects having taken place since the mid of 1990-ies and the newly completed or planned installations. On October 15^th the HYDROFORUM delegates will pay a visit to the Żarnowiec Hydropower Plant which was extensively rehabilitated in the first decade of this century. Hopefully, the COVID-19 pandemic will not disrupt these plans. However, one has to count with the sanitary regime requirements.

The Conference will be held under auspices of the Polish Minister of Infrastructure. Support has been granted by the Gdansk Division of the Polish Academy of Sciences and several other entities, including: PGE Energia Odnawialna Company SA, Voith Hydro GmbH & KG, Association of Polish Electrical Engineers and Energy, Respect Foundation in Gdansk. The event will be preceded by the National Assembly of the Polish Hydropower Association to be held in Grano hotel. Grano hotel will host also annual TEW Reception on October 12^th evening and HYDROFORUM Dinner on October 13^th.

The conference package will include the annual subscription of Energetyka Wodna quarterly, access to the electronic version of presentations and printed proceedings with extended abstracts of conference contributions. The authors of selected contributions will be invited to prepare post-conference papers to be published in the Energetyka Wodna quarterly. In case of potential authors’ willingness and sufficient number of Scientific Committee recommendations (at least 6) a post-conference issue of the Transactions of IFFM will be also published.

Detailed information on the conference as well as application forms and guidelines for the authors are available from the http://hydroforum.tew.pl/index.php/en/, www.imp.gda.pl and www.trmew.pl websites. The http://hydroforum.tew.pl/index.php/en/ website can be used also for the online registration.