Smart Dams and Digital Twins in Hydropower
The hydropower sector is entering a digital era, as outlined in Dentons' October 2025 paper, "Smart Dams and Digital Twins: Re-imagining Water Infrastructure in the Age of AI."
Smart dams are boosting efficiency and resilience through AI-driven reservoir management and predictive maintenance via digital twins.
However, this shift also raises new legal, contractual, and cyber-risk questions for operators, developers, and lenders.
The hydropower industry is entering a new phase of digitisation.
- Assets are aging and operational pressures are increasing.
- Owners and operators are moving toward "smart dams" systems that merge conventional civil engineering with advanced data and control technologies.
Author's summary: Hydropower sector enters digital era with smart dams.