The French hydropower and dam industry welcomes the world hydro community to Strasbourg. After successful events in Lyon (2009) and Bordeaux (2015), delegates will have the opportunity to visit the Grand Est region, where EDF operates 10 hydro schemes on the Rhine, one of which (Vogelgrun) is a demonstrator project for the EU-funded XFLEX scheme.

The extensive experience of supporting organizations EDF and CNR, both within France and abroad, will be well reflected in the programme, and on the study tours.

France currently (2021) has around 25 732 MW of hydro capacity in operation, and a further 822 MW of hydro at various stages of development. Hydro generation increased to more than 65 TWh in 2020.

The two most important recently completed schemes were the addition of a 240 MW surface powerplant at the 320 MW La Coche pumped-storage scheme in the Isère valley, and the 92 MW Romanche Gavet scheme in the southwest, where six surface plants and five dams have been replaced by one underground powerplant. The country plans to double its renewable energy over the next ten years, with hydro, solar and wind schemes.

Strasbourg, the capital city of the Grand Est region of France, formerly Alsace, is also the formal seat of the European Parliament. On the border of Germany, and also close to Switzerland (and very close to many hydro plants on the Rhine) it is an ideal meeting point for the hydro industry. Its culture and architecture blend both German and French influences.

The newly refurbished Centre de la Musique et des Congrès is a state-of-theart venue, modern and spacious, and has impressive measures in place for hosting a safe conference during the COVID recovery period.