HYDROGRID deepens its North American presence as Great River Hydro and Portage Power join its growing portfolio of digitalized hydropower operators
Vienna, March 5th - HYDROGRID announced today the addition of two new hydropower operators to its growing global portfolio: Great River Hydro and Portage Power (Hydro Ottawa Group). Both organizations are enhancing their operational workflows by implementing HYDROGRID Insight to support more efficient dispatch, improve responsiveness, and strengthen long‑term operational resilience - each in ways suited to their specific hydrological and organizational contexts.
Across both partnerships, HYDROGRID reinforces its commitment to making high‑quality water management accessible to hydropower teams of all sizes, irrespective of complexity, regional market dynamics, or regulatory requirements.
Great River Hydro: Strengthening decision-making with a unified operational view
Great River Hydro, an Independent Power Producer (IPP) owned by Hydro Quebec, operates one of the most extensive conventional hydro portfolios in New England, including a multi‑plant cascade with diverse hydrological constraints and market exposure. By introducing HYDROGRID Insight across six plants on the Connecticut River cascade, totaling 507.7 MW, Great River Hydro brings together inflow information (partially provided by a third party), operational constraint management, New England ISO conditions, and planning data into a more consolidated and consistent decision‑support environment.
This incremental step supports Great River Hydro’s ongoing commitment to evolving its digital toolset and enhancing operator workflows, while maintaining the reliability and stability expected within its complex compliance landscape.
“We’re proud to collaborate with IDB on a project that demonstrates how digitalization can transform hydropower performance. Combining robust infrastructure with advanced analytics unlocks efficiency gains and supports long-term sustainability goals.”“Our partnership with HYDROGRID builds a more unified view of the information our teams rely on every day, helping us make well‑informed decisions across a complex system. HYDROGRID supports our broader efforts to continually refine and streamline operations through digitalization, allowing us to access and interpret key data quickly and efficiently.”
-Jason Canaday, Head of Operations, Great River Hydro
Portage Power: Integrated inflow forecasting and asset monitoring
Portage Power, the power generating subsidiary of Hydro Ottawa Group, Ontario’s largest municipally-owned producer of green power, operates several hydroelectric generation plants in Ontario, Quebec and New York State with one site offering an opportunity for improved operational flexibility and market‑aligned dispatch. With HYDROGRID Insight, the company opted for a different setup, centered around inflow forecasting and asset monitoring. The team aims to bring inflow forecasting, portfolio management, and monitoring into one connected workflow.
This bespoke setup tailored to each plant contracted, supports Portage’s focus on maintaining a clear, efficient structure while adapting to evolving market needs and operational priorities.
“For a small and agile team like ours, having forecasting and planning connected within one tool makes day‑to‑day operations more predictable. HYDROGRID will help us respond to market signals with greater ease and support a smoother, more cohesive workflow overall. It aligns well with our ongoing efforts to enhance efficiency across the portfolio we manage in New York State.”
-Oluseyi Smith, Director Generation, Engineering and Operations, Portage Power
Why digitalize hydropower: the modern approach to hydro operations
As the hydropower sector evolves, operators increasingly look for tools that help them streamline decision‑making, adapt to varied hydrological conditions, and support teams in managing growing operational complexity. HYDROGRID’s approach is shaped around these needs.
“These new collaborations further underscore how our approach can add value in many different hydropower contexts. With HYDROGRID Insight, our goal is to provide a dependable and adaptable decision‑support tool that strengthens planning processes and supports operators across a wide range of hydrological and operational conditions.”
-Janice Goodenough, CEO, HYDROGRID
After having asked our partner and integration‑ecosystem portfolio, a clear set of themes consistently emerged — principles that reflect why more operators are moving toward integrated digital support tools. These are the main drivers behind this industry-wide shift:
- Better teamwork through shared operational insight
A more unified view of operational, hydrological, and market data supports consistent, well‑informed decision‑making across teams. Operators gain a clearer overview of reservoirs, constraints, and generation across the full water system.
- Integrated inflow optimization
Bringing forecasting and planning into one workflow helps operators align production decisions with hydrology and market signals.
- Agile market response
Timely insights enable quicker, confident reactions to system and price changes while staying within all operational constraints.
- Scalable team efficiency
Automation and workflow consolidation reduce manual workload and help teams of any size operate efficiently in a diminishing workforce environment.
- Sustainability through precision
Improved forecasting and optimized dispatch ensure water resources are used efficiently and responsibly.
