The grid needs more flexible, reliable power. Fish and people need healthy rivers.

Global electricity demand is accelerating. AI and data center power consumption is projected to more than double to nearly 1,000 TWh by 2030, on top of surging demand from vehicle electrification, industrial decarbonization, and expanding energy access worldwide (IEA, 2024). Meeting that demand with reliable, clean power requires every baseload renewable source we have. At the same time, freshwater biodiversity is in crisis: monitored freshwater species populations have declined by 85% since 1970, with river fragmentation from hydropower infrastructure cited as one of the primary drivers (WWF Living Planet Report, 2024).
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Hydropower sits at the center of both challenges. Global hydro fleets are aging — averaging 45 to 65 years old in North America and Europe — and facing urgent modernization requirements alongside strict environmental mandates. Conventional compliance methods, including fine screens and bypass systems, reduce annual generation by up to 14% and erode asset value, while failing to fully solve the fish passage problem. Globally, that represents billions in lost generation and capital misallocated to incomplete solutions.
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Natel's patented FishSafe™ designs are built for this moment. Available in Francis, Kaplan, and propeller configurations, our runners fit directly into existing civil works — delivering up to 94% peak hydraulic efficiency, up to 10% more output by eliminating flow losses, and 98–100% through-turbine fish passage survival validated in peer-reviewed science across multiple species.
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FishSafe™ turbines are one piece of a larger puzzle — fish passage works best as part of a holistic approach to river health. But they are the critical missing piece: the one that lets aging hydropower infrastructure keep delivering reliable, affordable power for grids and ratepayers, while restoring the river connectivity that fish, communities, and ecosystems depend on.