New Fish Guidance System Commissioned in Italy

In December 2016, Smith-Root commissioned a downstream fish guidance system at the Franciolini Power Plant, a run-of-the-river hydropower facility on Fiume Ecino in the Province of Ancona, Italy. ENEL SpA operates the power plant and retained Smith-Root to direct downstream-migrating trout and barbel to a spillway gate rather than the power headrace gates.

With assistance from Smith-Root’s partner in Italy, Aquaprogram s.r.l., a design was developed that featured a low and variable voltage pulsed DC field enabled by a pair of vertical electrode arrays. The pulsed DC field created by the guidance system was constructed and commissioned in Autumn 2016. Smith-Root prepared the barrier design and manufactured the guidance system equipment, and Aquaprogram provided on-site project management and commissioning services.

The Franciolini fish guidance system is Smith-Root’s 6th installation in Europe and its first in Italy.