For nearly 60 years, clients have trusted Kleinschmidt to help them make smart, confident investments in hydropower. Whether exploring a new greenfield site or upgrading an existing facility, our team brings the deep experience, regulatory insight, and technical precision you need to confidently move forward.

We’ve led over 80 feasibility studies in just the past five years—evaluating development opportunities, assessing upgrade potential, and conducting thorough due diligence at hydropower facilities. Our proven approach streamlines the decision-making process and helps you understand risks, costs, and long-term value before breaking ground.

From powerhouse and gate design to penstocks, spillways, and construction monitoring, our team delivers fully integrated design services—most under FERC jurisdiction—to ensure your project meets regulatory requirements while staying on schedule and within budget.

Kleinschmidt’s Feasibility and Planning Services Include:

• Fatal Flaw Analysis
• Regulatory Analysis
• Conceptual Layouts
• Opinion of Cost
• Conceptual Feasibility Studies
• Detailed Cost-Benefit Analysis
• Energy Analysis

From building a new hydropower plant to adding generation to a non-powered dam or upgrading aging infrastructure, success depends on how well all the pieces come together.

Our multidisciplinary team—spanning civil, structural, hydraulic, mechanical, electrical, and geotechnical engineering—works as a cohesive unit to provide fully integrated solutions that streamline design, reduce risks, and optimize performance. We don’t just solve isolated issues—we look at the full picture to ensure every component of your project works in harmony.

With a specialized focus on hydropower and dam facilities, we help clients navigate everything from regulatory compliance and redevelopment to rehabilitation and new construction. Our deep technical knowledge and decades of experience mean fewer surprises, smarter designs, and better outcomes for your project—and your bottom line.

Kleinschmidt’s Asset Modernization and New Facility Engineering Services Include:

• Existing Facility & Equipment Condition Assessments
• Feasibility Studies
• Energy Analysis
• Hydrologic & Hydraulic Analysis
• Rehabilitation & Modernization
• New Powerhouse Design
• Civil & Structural Design
• Mechanical & Electrical design
• Automation Design
• Dam Engineering
• FERC & State Safety Services
• Decommissioning Studies & Design Valuations

When it comes to penstock reliability, experience matters. Kleinschmidt has inspected, evaluated, and designed hundreds of penstocks across North America, giving us a deep, practical understanding of how these critical assets age and perform under various site conditions.

We help owners make informed, cost-effective decisions about their infrastructure through detailed condition assessments, risk evaluations, and strategic replacement planning. Our inspection team includes SPRAT-certified professionals trained in industrial rope access techniques, allowing us to safely and efficiently access even the most challenging sites. We also maintain current confined space entry certifications to ensure safety and compliance on every job.

Over the past decade, we’ve led more than 20 successful penstock replacement projects—spanning steel, fiberglass reinforced plastic (FRP), and centrifugally cast glass reinforced plastic (CCGRP)—tailored to each site’s unique requirements.

Kleinschmidt’s Penstock Inspections Services Include:

• Inspections
• Structural Evaluation
• Repair Recommendations
• Feasibility Studies for Penstock Replacement
• Final Design Bid Package Drawings
• Technical Specification Development
• Construction Services Development

Our senior consultants bring decades of experience supporting the financing, acquisition, development, and sale of hydroelectric and other electric power assets. Acting as trusted independent reviewers, we’ve worked with lending institutions, private developers, utilities, and legal teams to uncover risks, validate assumptions, and protect long-term value.

We’ve built and applied hundreds of detailed financial models to support everything from capital budgeting and asset valuation to divestiture strategies, decommissioning decisions, and property tax litigation. Our evaluations don’t just crunch the numbers—they offer strategic insights that empower better business decisions.

Whether you’re securing financing or preparing for sale, Kleinschmidt gives you the technical and financial perspective you need to succeed.

Kleinschmidt’s Valuation and Due Diligence Services Include:

• Condition Assessments
• Life Cycle Costs
• Operation and Maintenance Assessments
• Generation Assessments
• Financial Analysis
• Lender Due Diligence
• Environmental & Regulatory Mitigation Costs
• Performance Evaluation
• Asset Management
• Plant Optimization Studies

As demand for reliable, flexible energy storage grows, pumped storage hydropower (PSH) is re-emerging as a critical solution for grid stability and renewable integration. With most existing PSH facilities in North America built over 50 years ago, there’s a dual need: develop new, modern systems and upgrade legacy infrastructure to meet today’s performance and efficiency standards.

The U.S. Department of Energy projects that 36 GW of new PSH capacity will be needed to support the clean energy transition—highlighting the urgency for scalable, proven technologies that can store excess wind and solar energy and respond instantly to peak demand.

We support utilities and developers through every phase of PSH projects—whether modernizing existing facilities or advancing new developments from concept through construction. Our deep technical expertise, regulatory know-how, and decades of hydropower experience make us the ideal partner to bring pumped storage projects online—on time and on budget.

Kleinschmidt’s Pumped Storage Services Include:

• FERC Licensing
• Regulatory Strategic Planning
• Agency Consultation & Negotiations
• Stakeholder & Meeting Facilitation
• Recreation Studies & Design
• Water Quality Monitoring
• Ecological Habitat Assessments
• Endangered Species Surveys & Habitat Conservation Plans
• Engineering Feasibility Studies
• Energy Analysis
• Hydrologic & Hydraulic Analysis
• Penstock Inspections & Design
• Intake & Powerhouse Design
• Embankment Stability & Dam Safety

Learn more about Pumped Storage

To ensure your project is built right—the first time—and to reduce long-term risk, construction monitoring by a trusted owner’s engineer is essential. We represent your interests at every stage, making sure construction aligns with design intent, regulatory standards, and your performance goals.

Whether you need periodic oversight—like reviewing shop drawings, responding to contractor inquiries, and conducting key site visits—or full-time, on-site engineering support for more complex builds, we tailor our services to fit your project’s needs and scale.

With deep expertise in hydro engineering and a commitment to quality assurance, our team helps you verify progress, maintain schedule and budget alignment, and avoid costly rework. We’re your eyes and ears on the ground—focused on delivering the outcomes that matter most to you.

Kleinschmidt’s Construction Services Include:

• Developing Technical Specifications and Bid Documents
• Reviewing Submittals from Contractors
• Administering & Coordinating Permits
• Reviewing Contractor Shop Drawings & Submittals
• Responding to Requests for Information
• Observing & Reporting on Construction Activities
• Preparing Record Drawing