Hosts
Registration Information
Standard Registration Rate: $525
NHA Member Discounted Registration Rate: $225
Sponsors: Please contact Ellie Rubalow for registration support.
Special Discounted Rates Available for:
- Speakers
- Federal Government employees
- Young professionals involved in NHA’s Future Leaders of Waterpower (FLOW) group
- Federal Government employees
- Representatives of NGOs
For details, contact Ellie Rubalow.
CANCELLATION POLICY
You may transfer your registration at any time at no cost. Cancellations received in writing by June 15 will be refunded less a $50 administrative fee. Cancellations after this date cannot be refunded.
Meeting Location & Accommodations
The 2025 NHA Northeast Regional Meeting will take place at the Great Wolf Lodge Water Park | New England in Fitchburg, Massachusetts.
If booking your hotel room online, please use offer code 2507NHAM. You can also book your stay by calling 866-678-9653.
All hotel reservations must be made by Monday, July 18th to get the NHA group rate!
Fitchburg is located 53 miles west of Boston. The two most convenient ways to travel from Boston to Fitchburg are by train or car. Driving takes approximately one hour.
The Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) operates trains from North Station (located in the North End) to Fitchburg roughly every two hours, with a travel time of about 1 hour and 30 minutes.
Schedule of Events
Tuesday, July 22
11:30 AM – 12:30 PM – Early Career Professionals Lunch, hosted by NHA’s Future Leaders of Waterpower (FLOW). This is a great way for you to network with your peers and talk about your experiences in the industry and workforce!
12:30 PM – Meet in Hotel Lobby for Boott Hydroelectric Project Tour in Lowell, Massachusetts – Bus Leaves Promptly at 1:00 PM
1:00 PM – 5:45 PM: Tour of Boott Hydroelectric Project (includes travel time to and from Lowell)
6:00 PM – 7:00 PM: NHA Welcome Networking Reception
Wednesday, July 23
8:00 AM – 5:00 PM: NHA Regional Meeting – participate in educational sessions and networking throughout the day
5:15 PM – 6:15 PM: NHA Happy Hour
Thursday, July 24
7:00 AM – Meet in Hotel Lobby for Tour of Northfield Mountain in Northfield, Massachusetts – Bus Leaves Promptly at 7:30 AM
7:30 AM – 12:30 PM: Tour of Northfield Mountain (includes travel time to and from Northfield)
Space is limited on both tours — register today to reserve your spot!
Session Topics
- Artificial Intelligence (AI) — How Hydro Companies Are Leveraging AI to Improve Their Day-to-Day Business and Technical/Operational Activities
- Business Climate in the Northeast and What That Means for Hydro
- Contracting: How To Create Win-Win Partnerships between Asset Owners and Service/Product Suppliers
- Developing New Hydro at Existing Dams and Other Civil Infrastructure
- Electricity Markets in the Northeast: What’s Happening?
- Emergency Action Planning (EAP) Tabletop Exercise Case Study
- Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) Dam Safety Update
- Hot Regulatory Topics in the Northeast
Tour Information
Meeting participants have the opportunity to join two great tours – one on Tuesday afternoon, July 22, and one on Thursday morning, July 24.
No extra charge for the tours but sign-up is required at the time of registration.
For details of each tour, click HERE.
Tour of Boott Hydroelectric Project
Hosted By:
Tuesday, July 22
12:30 PM: Meet in Hotel Lobby
1:00 PM: Buses Depart
2:00 PM – 3:00 PM: Boott Hydroelectric Project Tour
3:15 PM – 4:15 PM: Merrimack River Tour
4:30 PM – 5:00 PM: Lowell Museum Visit
5:45 PM: Arrive Back at Hotel
Max capacity for the tour is 90 people. To attend, you must select the tour option during your event registration.
If you need to change your RSVP for the tour, please reach out to Ellie Rubalow at Ellie@hydro.org
Tour of Northfield Mountain
Hosted By:
FirstLight’s Northfield Mountain is New England’s largest pumped storage hydroelectric project located in the towns of Northfield and Erving Massachusetts. The project consists of an Upper Reservoir, Lower Impoundment and powerhouse with 4 reversable pump turbines utilizing about 800’ of net head, capable of generating 1,168 MWs or taking in over 1,000 MWs as needed to support the electric grid in New England.
Visitors to the facility will have a chance to tour the powerhouse, discuss project operations, see the results of the replacement of an original 1970s 114” spherical valve replacement project, including seeing the removed valve in the dry on the turbine deck, visit the upper reservoir to see the results of hydraulic dredging efforts, understand the recreation offerings of the project, and hear from various subject matter experts on what makes this unique facility a vital part of the electric grid in New England.
Thursday, July 24
7:00 AM: Meet in Hotel Lobby
7:30 AM: Buses Depart
8:30 AM – 11:30 AM: Tour of Northfield Mountain
12:30 PM: Arrive Back at Hotel
Max capacity for the tour is 68 people. To attend, you must select the tour option during your event registration.
If you need to change your RSVP for the tour, please reach out to Ellie Rubalow at Ellie@hydro.org
Things To Do in Fitchburg:
- Explore Boston, only 90 minutes by car.
- Restaurant Guide
- Go Hiking- view the Trails Guide
- Visit the Fitchburg Art Museum
Additional Information
Membership
Interested in becoming a member of NHA? Want to know how to leverage your current membership? Contact Marla Barnes at marla@hydro.org or call (816) 588-4639 for more information.
Questions and Sponsorship
Interested in how you can get involved in planning the agenda? Looking for brand visibility? Please contact Marla Barnes at marla@hydro.org or call her at (816) 588-4639 with questions about sponsorship opportunities.
Other NHA Events
For information on other events owned and held by NHA, reach out to Francesca Hadjimichael at francesca@hydro.org.
Meeting Conduct Policy
As a professional society, the National Hydropower Association is committed to providing an atmosphere that encourages the free expression and exchange of ideas. Consistent with this commitment, it is the policy of the NHA that all participants in NHA activities will enjoy a welcoming environment, free from unlawful discrimination, harassment and retaliation. Read the full policy here.
Privacy Statement
NHA does not sell information. We deeply respect the privacy of our attendees and we have never nor will we ever reach out to anyone with offers to sell our mailing lists. Any communications that say otherwise are scam attempts and should be deleted and/or blocked.
