Natel Energy | 2025 in Review

Modernizing the grid. Restoring rivers.

As we kick off 2026, the Natel team is reflecting on the significant progress and collaborative milestones we achieved in 2025. Our focus remains steady: applying high-performance FishSafe™ turbine designs to support both reliable energy production and rigorous environmental compliance.

We are grateful for the opportunity to work with all of our customers and partners. Through new international partnerships and breakthrough research, we are proving that upgrading aging assets can breathe new life into the hydro fleet while dramatically improving downstream fish passage. 

FishSafe™ runners for large hydro

We are conducting a major design feasibility study for the St. Lawrence-FDR Power Project. Supported by the Fish Enhancement and Mitigation Research Fund, this study explores how FishSafe™ runners can support safe American eel passage at one of North America’s largest hydropower facilities.

New installations underway with manufacturing partners in the US and EU

A central theme of our year has been working with turbine manufacturing partners to help utilities solve regulatory challenges while improving asset value.

2026 The Italian turbine manufacturer Hydroalp is supplying a FishSafe™ runner to a European customer. Scheduled for installation this year, this project is designed for >99% turbine passage survival of the critically endangered European eel.

2027 German turbine manufacturer DIVE will supply two FishSafe™ runners to a customer in France with installation scheduled for early 2027. The propeller-style units will enable safe passage for brown trout and other aquatic life. 

2029 American Hydro and Natel were selected to supply a 26 MW FishSafe™ runner for a customer in the United States to provide safe passage for American eel. Commercial operation of the unit is expected to begin in 2029.

What customers are saying 📣

At NHA’s Clean Currents 2025, Patriot Hydro presented about how Natel FishSafe designs are meeting their needs for regulatory compliance and cost, all while boosting power production at their Garvins Falls site.

Unlocking the PTC 🔑

For modernization projects in the US, meeting the "80/20 Rule" for repowering, our FishSafe™ upgrades are helping owners unlock federal Clean Electricity Production Tax Credits (PTC), turning compliance requirements into powerful financial catalysts.

Regulatory milestone ✔️

This year we were honored to receive official recognition from the UK Environment Agency, which now lists Natel’s technology as a "Best Achievable" solution for eel protection. This designation provides a clear path for operators to meet strict environmental mandates without the need for traditional physical screening.

Advancing the science of fish protection

High survival for large fish: Our landmark study with Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, published in Environmental and Sustainability Indicators, confirmed a 98.6–100% survival rate for large rainbow trout (up to 21") passing through our turbines.

Sharing our work around the globe

In 2025 Natel presented about our research at the International Association for Hydro-Environment Research in Singapore, New Zealand Tuna Hui (Eel Symposium), the International Fish Passage Conference in China, the Sustainable Hydropower (SUSHP) Conference in Vienna, HYDRO 2025 in Greece, and at annual meetings of  Northwest Hydropower Association and British Hydropower Association.

Join us at NWHA's Annual Conference February 24th, for a 

Through-Turbine Passage Workshop

We also amped up our presence at National Hydropower Association’s Clean Currents in Pittsburgh, where we hosted a workshop on fish passage, shared progress on our SO-FISH community engagement model created  with University of Minnesota and Friends of the Mississippi River, and kept attendees moving with the second annual FishSafe Runners 5K. 

Upcoming

You can find us this winter and spring at the USACE Industry Day in Portland, OR, the Northwest Hydropower Association Annual Conference, CEATI, NHA Water Power Week, the International Fish Passage Conference—(tour our headquarters on a field trip!), Power of Water Canada, Rencontres France Hydro, and more.

In print and on the airwaves

Natel was proud to be named one of the World’s Top GreenTech Companies 2025 by TIME and Statista. 

Natel Principal Engineers Sterling Watson and Johannes Santen were guests on the Terra.talk podcast where they discussed dovetailing clean power generation with fish protection and the turns their paths as engineers have taken.

CTO Abe Schneider and Sterling Watson spoke with Canada’s Blue Fish Radio about the potential impact of FishSafe turbines in Canadian waterways.

Our work was featured in Canary Media, where CCO Gia Schneider discussed how our technology serves as a "bright spot" for the thousands of U.S. dams facing relicensing.

CEO Bill Malus was interviewed by Onyx for a feature in Fortune Magazine discussing his path to Natel and how FishSafe turbines eliminate tradeoffs between biodiversity and power production.

Fishy competition

We've had a challenge going for who can wear their Natel swag in the most incredible locations. Check out this formidable submission from COO and VP of Engineering Gregor Cadman who took his Natel t-shirt for a dive on New Year's Day amongst hundreds of sharks, huge pelagic manta rays, yellowfin tuna, dolphins, and false killer whales.

Want to play?

Get your own Natel swag here and send us a pic of it in the wild   for a chance to win another Natel item of your choice!

Looking ahead: 2026

The momentum from 2025 carries us directly into an intensive season of field and lab validation at our headquarters in Alameda, CA and at our pending installation with HydroAlp in Europe. This spring we are also completing a rebuild of our scale model turbine hydraulic testing facility, underscoring our commitment to  biological testing and hydraulic validation.

Happy New Year from everyone at Natel! We are grateful for the collaboration of our partners and the shared commitment to making hydropower work for both the grid and the river.