--- title: Natel Energy updates Fall 2026 --- A 940 MW design study, a landmark licensing win, and FOAK fish passage testing in France. ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­    ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­   | View in browser Natel Energy \| Fall 2026 Modernizing the grid. Restoring rivers. Hydro owners often feel they must choose between protecting fish or protecting generation. Over the past several months, we’ve made strides on three projects across two continents that suggest there is no trade-off. Fish safety with no efficiency penalty at a GW-scale plant At the St. Lawrence-FDR Power Project, turbines are effectively the only way downstream for migrating American eels, and testing in 1997 found that over 26% of the eels passing through them were killed. Natel conducted a design feasibility study for replacing the site's existing units with FishSafe™ runners. Funded by the Fisheries Enhancement and Mitigation Research Fund in collaboration with New York Power Authority, Natel developed FishSafe™ runner designs which are predicted to raise eel survival above 98%, with peak efficiency between 94-95%, matching the existing units' efficiency within the measurement uncertainty.   The new designs were created using the original plant geometry and would allow reuse of the existing generators. Compared to alternatives such as trap-and-haul programs, implementation of Natel runners at the Moses-Saunders dam could be the most effective way to provide safe downstream passage of eel, without affecting energy production.  Read the announcement and report In New England, the least expensive option is the best performer At Clean Currents, Natel’s Abe Schneider and Andy Qua of Kleinschmidt presented an alternatives analysis and FishSafe™ runner upgrade study for West Enfield, a 13 MW Brookfield-owned project in Maine that needed safe downstream passage for a wide assemblage of fish species and lifestages, including American eel, endangered Atlantic salmon, and several types of shads and herrings. The alternatives analysis, performed by Kleinschmidt, found the following total costs over a 40-year license: Floating boom: about $35M, protecting smolts only Inclined screen: about $93M, including lost generation FishSafe™ runners: $12–20M, protecting all species, with no lost generation The Natel FishSafe™ design is predicted to deliver \>96% survival for Atlantic salmon, \>95% survival for all other species, and up to 6% greater annual energy output than the existing runners. In a landmark filing in August, the resource agencies issued a prescription for Natel FishSafe™ runners in the FERC record. View the presentation In France, officially recognized as safe fish passage For turbines to be deemed effective fish passage routes in France, they must match the best available alternative, which for eel at small power plants is a fine exclusion screen. Earlier this year, Natel installed a FishSafe™ runner to replace a 67-year-old turbine at a small plant in southern France, and live fish testing (eel and salmon smolts) followed. Following the successful downstream passage testing, the French regulator, OFB, approved operation of the unit without fine screens, and work is underway to replace the site’s second unit with a FishSafe™ runner as well. We're looking forward to sharing the full testing results soon.   At Clean Currents, Natel Principal Engineer Sterling Watson explained how France's regulatory approval process for turbine passage works. Then she moderated a discussion with John Wiley (USFWS), Andy Qua (Kleinschmidt), and Steve Leach (FirstLight Power) to reflect on how France’s approach to evaluating and approving turbines as fish passage routes parallels and diverges from the US approach. Follow us on LinkedIn for the results More from Phoenix Thank you to everyone who joined our third annual FishSafe™ Runners 5K, stopped by our Stakeholder Engagement for FishSafe Hydropower (SO-FISH) poster, or attended the fish passage seminar. Read our Clean Currents 2026 recap Where to find us next This week Harry Driscoll is at Business Hydro in Grenoble and next week at Hydro 2026 in Bologna, and Abe Schneider, Gia Schneider, Pat Donahue, and Jessica Penrod will be at Canadian Waterpower Week in Ottawa. Let's meet in person! We’re hiring, swim in our school!  We're on the lookout for exceptional talent to join our team. Help accelerate the clean energy transition with sustainable hydropower. Senior Manager of Public Affairs Hydraulic Design Engineer Join us Natel Energy, 2401 Monarch St, Alameda, CA 94501, USA, +1 510-342-5269 Unsubscribe Manage preferences | | --- |