What Hydro ECI does

Hydro ECI Inc. (HECI) is a privately held Canadian engineering and equipment company founded in 2000 and headquartered in Granby, Quebec. The firm specializes in the electrical balance of plant (e-BOP) for hydroelectric power plants, delivering engineering design, equipment supply, installation, and commissioning services across protection systems, digital speed governors, controls, and SCADA/HMI solutions. Its core proprietary product is the PLC-TG Digital Speed Governor, an IEEE STD125-compliant turbine governor certified for Pelton, Francis, Kaplan, and Camelback turbine types, built on standardized PLC platforms from Schneider Electric, Rockwell/Allen Bradley, Siemens, and GE.

The company's customer base consists of hydroelectric project developers, turbine OEMs (Voith, Andritz, GE Hydro, Alstom, Litostroj, Mavel), and plant owners across North America, including major Canadian utilities such as Hydro-Quebec, BC Hydro, Ontario Power Generation, and SaskPower, as well as independent power producers such as Innergex, Brookfield Renewable Energy, and Liberty Power. To date, Hydro ECI has completed over 50 water-to-wire hydroelectric projects and has its equipment operating on more than 100 turbines across Canada, the United States, and select European projects.

Hydro ECI generates revenue through project-based contracts encompassing engineering services, hardware/equipment sales (protection panels, control cabinets, switchgear, governors), and commissioning work. Pricing is quote-based and tailored to each project's turbine type, capacity, and scope. Sales are conducted directly via phone, email, and website contact, with projects won through competitive bids and direct partnerships. The operating model is owner-operated with no disclosed external funding, M&A activity, or institutional investment.

Name

Hydro ECI

Legal name

Hydro ECI Inc.

Website

https://hydro-eci.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2000

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Hydro ECI is a privately held Canadian engineering firm that designs, supplies, and commissions electrical protection, controls, SCADA systems, and proprietary digital speed governors for hydroelectric power plants, serving utilities, IPPs, and turbine OEMs across North America.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Hydropower Electrical Engineering Services & Equipment

NAICS

Turbine and Turbine Generator Set Units Manufacturing (333611), Relay and Industrial Control Manufacturing (335314), Switchgear and Switchboard Apparatus Manufacturing (335313)

SIC

Industrial Instruments For Measurement, Display, And Control (3823), Switchgear & Switchboard Apparatus (3613), Instruments For Meas & Testing Of Electricity & Elec Signals (3825)

akta.pro primary industry

Hydropower Turbines, Generators & Balance-of-Plant Equipment Manufacturing (EUAMAHAF)

akta.pro secondary industries

Hydroelectric Turbines & Governors (IMAHAFAD), Power Plant I&C / SCADA / DCS EPC (EUAEAAAN), Power Plant Electrical Systems EPC (Switchyard, Transformers, Protection & Controls) (EUAEAAAM)

Keywords

• Hydroelectric engineering services
• Turbine speed governors
• Electrical protection systems
• SCADA HMI integration
• Plant automation controls

Headquarters

HQ city

Granby

HQ country

Canada

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Supply Chain

Revenue model

1. Engineering Services and Equipment Supply: Hydro ECI provides complete electrical balance of plant solutions including engineering design, equipment supply, installation, and commissioning for hydroelectric power plants. Revenue is generated through project-based contracts encompassing engineering services, hardware supply (protection panels, control systems, governors, switchgear), and commissioning services.
2. Hardware/Equipment Sales: Sale of proprietary and third-party electrical equipment including PLC-TG speed governors, protection panels, control cabinets, switchgear, motor control centers, instrumentation, and SCADA systems.
3. Site Rehabilitation and Modernization: Turnkey rehabilitation solutions for existing hydroelectric plants including engineering, hardware, software, installation, and commissioning to update protection, controls, and SCADA technology.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Hydro ECI provides complete electrical balance of plant (e-BOP) solutions for hydroelectric power plants, including engineering design, protection systems, controls, SCADA/HMI, switchgear, motor control centers, and commissioning. Its flagship proprietary product is the PLC-TG Digital Speed Governor, a PLC-based IEEE STD125-compliant governor compatible with Pelton, Francis, Kaplan, and Camelback turbines. The company serves new project developers, turbine manufacturers, and existing plant owners across North America with turnkey engineering, equipment supply, installation, and rehabilitation services.

Product overview

Hydro ECI is an engineering services and equipment company specializing in electrical balance of plant (e-BOP) solutions for hydroelectric power plants. The core product portfolio centers on the PLC-TG Digital Speed Governor, a proprietary certified PLC-based turbine governor, complemented by a comprehensive suite of engineering services and equipment including protection studies and panels, SCADA/HMI solutions, automation software, switchgear, substation equipment, and site rehabilitation. The company integrates with multiple SCADA/HMI platforms (Wonderware, Cimplicity, Citect, Ignition, Rockwell/Allen Bradley, Siemens Win-CC, Red-Lion, Maple, Kep) and industrial PLC systems (Modicon/Schneider Electric, GE, Rockwell/Allen Bradley, Siemens) to deliver turn-key electrical solutions for new installations and existing plant modernization across North America.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• PLC-TG Digital Speed Governor Certified PLC-based speed governor for hydroelectric turbines, compatible with Pelton (up to 6 jets + 6 deflectors), simple/double regulating Francis, and Kaplan (runner blade and wicket gates) turbines, with built-in HMI and Modbus-TCP communications. Targeted at hydroelectric plant owners, project developers, and turbine manufacturers.
• Engineering and Development Services Electrical engineering services during the pre-feasibility project study phase to define needs, estimate costs, and support technical background decisions for hydroelectric projects. Targeted at hydroelectric project developers and plant owners.
• Project Management Services Technical advice and project management to support decisions affecting reliability and economics, ensuring standards, product conformity, and schedule compliance across hydroelectric projects. Targeted at hydroelectric project developers and plant owners.
• Protection Studies and Equipment Site-specific protection studies (ground and arc-flash), electrical drawings, cable lists, and bills of materials, with supply of generator protection panels, governor cabinets, and control system cabinets. Targeted at hydroelectric plant owners, project developers, and turbine manufacturers.
• Site Rehabilitation Services Turnkey rehabilitation of existing hydroelectric plants including detail engineering, industrial quality parts, installation, cabling, programming, SCADA, communications, and operator/maintenance documentation to update protection, controls, and SCADA technology. Targeted at owners of aging hydroelectric plants.
• Substation and Equipment Engineering Engineering services for substation control and protection including transformer, breaker, and main switch scope for hydroelectric plant substations. Targeted at hydroelectric project developers and plant owners.
• Switchgear Solutions Supply of switchgear equipment including neutral grounding cabinet, generator breaker, and fused load break disconnect switch for 4.16 kV, 13.8 kV, and 25 kV nominal voltages, built on Schneider Electric or Eaton components. Targeted at hydroelectric project developers and plant owners.
• Excitation Voltage Regulation (AVR) Engineering for digital automatic voltage regulators for static excitation systems or brushless generator exciters, including settings configuration and site commissioning for hydroelectric generators. Targeted at hydroelectric plant owners and turbine manufacturers.
• Automation Software Development (HECI Smart-Soft) PLC-based automation software development using Function Block Diagram, Grafcet, Structured Text, or Ladder programming, executed on Modicon/Schneider Electric, GE, Rockwell/Allen Bradley, and Siemens PLC platforms. Targeted at hydroelectric plant owners, project developers, and turbine manufacturers.
• Motor Control Center / AC/DC Distribution Equipment Design, supply, installation, and testing of AC/DC distribution equipment including transformer, motor control center, distribution panels, battery charger, batteries, and UPS for hydroelectric power plants. Targeted at hydroelectric project developers and plant owners.
• Shop Testing and Commissioning Shop and field tests to verify that supplied equipment complies with specifications and applicable standards, delivered for hydroelectric plant equipment. Targeted at hydroelectric project developers, turbine manufacturers, and plant owners.
• Instrumentation Services Measurement method selection and engineering for level measurement, flow ramping, displacement, and vibration calculation and analysis on hydroelectric units. Targeted at hydroelectric plant owners and turbine manufacturers.
• Networking Solutions Plant network design ranging from simple topologies to multi-VLAN, multi-protocol, switch-redundant double-ring configurations supporting Modbus, Profibus, Ethernet, DNP3, and ICCP for hydroelectric plants. Targeted at hydroelectric project developers and plant owners.
• SCADA, HMI, and Control Center Solutions Design and configuration of site-specific SCADA and HMI operator interfaces using Wonderware, Cimplicity, Citect, I-Fix, Ignition, Rockwell/Allen Bradley, Siemens Win-CC, Red-Lion, Maple, and Kepware, with one-line schematics, device controls, alarm management, and production reporting. Targeted at hydroelectric project developers, turbine manufacturers, and plant owners.
• Technical Support Services On-site and remote connection support services for troubleshooting and maintenance of installed hydroelectric electrical and control equipment. Targeted at hydroelectric plant owners.
• Trending / Data Logging Solutions Cross-platform data logging through SCADA, control center, and secured remote data collectors isolated from powerhouse operation for third-party data acquisition on hydroelectric plants. Targeted at hydroelectric plant owners.

Quantifiable outcome

• 50+ water-to-wire hydroelectric power plants successfully completed
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers12 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration15 records

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Eleven partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Schneider ElectriccoreTechnology or IntegrationSchneider Electric products are used for switchgear equipment including neutral grounding cabinet, generator breaker and fused load break disconnect switch for 4.16 kV, 13.8 kV and 25 kV nominal voltages. SchneiderElectric PLC platforms (Modicon, M580, M340) are also used for automation development.
• EatoncoreTechnology or IntegrationEaton products are used for switchgear equipment including neutral grounding cabinet, generator breaker and fused load break disconnect switch for 4.16 kV, 13.8 kV and 25 kV nominal voltages.
• Wonderware (Schneider Electric Software)coreTechnology or IntegrationHydro ECI is a certified Wonderware integrator for SCADA and HMI system development, using Wonderware software for operator interface design and configuration.
• GE (General Electric)coreTechnology or IntegrationGE PLC platforms (RX3i) are used for automation development. Hydro ECI develops with Rockwell/Allen Bradley (Contrologix, Compact-Logix) and Siemens (Simatic S7-1500, S7-300) platforms as well.
• Rockwell Automation (Allen Bradley)coreTechnology or IntegrationRockwell/Allen Bradley PLC platforms (Contrologix, Compact-Logix) are used for automation development with HECI Smart-Soft approach.
• SiemenscoreTechnology or IntegrationSiemens Simatic S7-1500 and S7-300 PLC platforms are used for automation development. Siemens Win-CC is used for SCADA/HMI development.
• Voith Hydro Inc.coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerVoith Hydro is a major turbine manufacturer that Hydro ECI works with on hydroelectric projects. Hydro ECI provides electrical BOP solutions for Voith turbines including Byllesby project (Kaplan-H 2x2.2MW in Minnesota).
• Andritz HydrocoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAndritz Hydro is a major turbine manufacturer that Hydro ECI collaborates with on hydroelectric projects including Okikendwt (Kaplan-ECOBulb 2x5MW) and Toulnustouc (Francis-V 2x247MW).
• Litostroj Inc. / Litostroj Hydro Inc.coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLitostroj is a turbine manufacturer that Hydro ECI works with on projects including Innavik (Kaplan V 2x5.5MW) and Upper White (Kaplan-S 2x4.8MW + 1x250kW).
• AlstomcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAlstom is a major turbine manufacturer that Hydro ECI collaborated with on Outarde-3 project (Francis-V 4x257MW) providing electrical design engineering for hydraulic power units and speed governors.
• GE HydrocoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGE Hydro is a major equipment manufacturer that Hydro ECI has provided electrical design engineering services for turbine instrumentation, hydraulic power units, and turbine inlet valves.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Emerson (Ovation / Power & Water Solutions): Emerson's Ovation DCS platform is widely deployed for hydro plant control, protection, and SCADA at North American utilities. It competes directly with Hydro ECI's PLC-based and Wonderware-based SCADA/HMI solutions for power plant automation work.

Emerging players

• Rockwell Automation: Rockwell (Allen Bradley) provides the ControlLogix/CompactLogix PLC and FactoryTalk SCADA platforms that HECI integrates with. As a technology partner, Rockwell also competes for direct hydro control work via its OEM channels and Power & Process industry team.
• Schneider Electric: Schneider Electric provides Modicon PLCs, Wonderware SCADA (now AVEVA), and switchgear — all of which Hydro ECI uses and integrates. Schneider's EcoStruxure and Power Plant solutions increasingly target hydro and renewable integration, making it both a partner and partial competitor.

Broad incumbents

• ABB: ABB is a global industrial automation and electrification incumbent with substantial hydroelectric plant control, protection, and governor offerings. It competes with Hydro ECI on large utility-scale hydro projects and digital substation / power plant automation scope, though ABB serves a much broader portfolio beyond hydro.
• Voith Hydro: Voith Hydro is a leading global turbine manufacturer and current strategic partner of Hydro ECI. Voith has internal electrical engineering capability and competes with HECI on the integrated electrical BOP package, particularly in North American small-to-mid hydro.
• GE Renewable Energy (Hydro): GE Hydro is a major turbine and electrical equipment OEM and a partner of Hydro ECI on past projects. It offers in-house hydro automation, governors, and excitation systems, and could vertically integrate the electrical BOP scope that HECI currently delivers to GE's turbine customers.
• Honeywell Process Solutions: Honeywell provides process control and automation (including Experion) used in power generation, including hydro. It competes for hydro plant DCS and control modernization work, particularly with utilities that standardize on Honeywell platforms.
• Siemens Energy: Siemens Energy delivers hydro turbines, generators, automation, and grid integration as part of a broad energy portfolio (including the former Siemens hydropower business). It competes directly with Hydro ECI's electrical BOP scope on large projects, leveraging its own PLC (SIMATIC) and SCADA (WinCC) platforms — both of which HECI also integrates with.
• Andritz Hydro: Andritz Hydro is a major turbine OEM and HECI partner on multiple projects. It provides complete electrical BOP solutions internally, competing with HECI for integrated hydro packages including controls, governors, and protection.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Hydro ECI