ANCOLD The Australian National Committee on Large Dams Inc.

What ANCOLD The Australian National Committee on Large Dams Inc. does

ANCOLD (The Australian National Committee on Large Dams Inc.) is a not-for-profit professional membership association and the peak industry body for dam engineering in Australia, established in 1937 as the Australian National Committee of ICOLD. The association represents the full spectrum of the Australian dams industry, including dam owners and operators (Hydro Tasmania, WaterNSW, Seqwater, Murray Darling Basin Authority, SA Water, Water Corporation of WA, Sunwater), engineering consultancies and contractors (GHD, SMEC, KCB Australia), state regulators, and individual professionals. ANCOLD is incorporated in New South Wales under the Associations Incorporation Act 2009 and operates from a small secretariat of approximately 5 staff headquartered in Hobart, Tasmania. The association is an active member of ICOLD and is represented on 16 of the 35 active ICOLD Technical Committees, giving Australian practitioners access to over 180 international technical bulletins and the World Register of Dams.

The core product portfolio consists of proprietary technical knowledge assets rather than technology products. ANCOLD develops and publishes a suite of 12+ guidelines covering flood capacity, risk assessment, geotechnical investigations, seismic design, tailings dams, environmental management, consequence categories, concrete gravity dams, dam safety management, instrumentation and monitoring, and design of retarding basins. These guidelines are referenced in dam safety legislation in Queensland, NSW, Victoria, and Tasmania, embedding ANCOLD standards into the Australian regulatory framework. Supporting products include a conference papers archive from 1998 onwards, historical bulletins from No.1 (September 1961) to No.117 (April 2001), recorded Seminars on Demand across multiple dam safety topics, and historical publications documenting Australian dam history. The Emerging Professionals Mentoring Program is delivered through the Mentorloop platform from 2026.

ANCOLD operates a diversified, subscription- and event-driven revenue model with no external investors or parent entity. Revenue streams include Organisational Membership at AU$1,547 per year (plus AU$773.50 join fee), Associate Membership at AU$144 per year, a Digital Guidelines Subscription at AU$160 per year for non-members, hardcopy guideline sales priced between AU$80 and AU$195, bulletin and paper sales at AU$15 each, Seminars on Demand modules at AU$25-AU$80 and full courses at AU$195-AU$250, and the Dam Safety Liabilities and Corporate Governance Course at AU$2,000+GST per session. Go-to-market combines community-led growth (member organisations and individual professionals), event-driven engagement (annual conference, Dam Operators Forum, Tailings Dam Operators Forum, webinars, site tours), and direct sales of technical publications through the online shop. Member benefits include complimentary access to papers, bulletins, and seminars, plus discounted guideline subscriptions, reinforcing the membership value proposition.

Name

ANCOLD The Australian National Committee on Large Dams Inc.

Legal name

Australian National Committee on Large Dams Incorporated (ANCOLD Inc.)

Website

https://ancold.org.au

Company type

Private

Founded year

1937

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

ANCOLD is the Australian peak industry body for dam engineering, representing 105+ organisations and 300+ individual members. It develops regulatorily referenced technical guidelines, publishes bulletins and papers, and runs conferences, forums, and professional development programs for the Australian dams industry.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Professional Association Services — Dam Engineering Industry Body

NAICS

Engineering Services (541330), Environmental Consulting Services (541620)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600), Services-Engineering Services (8711)

akta.pro primary industry

Water, Wastewater & Stormwater Compliance (BPAHAJAJ)

akta.pro secondary industries

Construction Management & Delivery (EPCM/CMAR/Design-Build Oversight) (EUANALAE), Association & Society Conference Management (Nonprofit, Professional Bodies) (THAHACAA)

Keywords

• Dam engineering guidelines
• Professional industry association
• Technical publications
• Dam safety training
• Tailings dam management

Headquarters

HQ city

Hobart

HQ country

Australia

HQ region

Oceania

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Organisational Membership Fees: Public and private organisations involved in dams and water resources pay an annual membership fee of AU$1,547 with a join fee of AU$773.50. Organisational members receive access for all employees plus voting rights at AGM. Sustaining Membership is available for eligible long-term members.
2. Associate Membership Fees: Individual professionals with competence in relevant engineering, scientific, economic, sociological or legal disciplines pay AU$144 annually with a join fee of AU$72. Retired membership available at reduced rates for qualifying members.
3. Digital Guidelines Subscription: 12-month subscription to full suite of 12 digital guidelines publications. Non-member rate is AU$160/year. Members receive discounted rates.
4. Hardcopy Guidelines Sales: Individual guidelines sold as hardcopy publications at AU$80-195 depending on publication. Includes complimentary postage to Australian addresses for members.
5. Bulletins and Papers Sales: Historical bulletins (No.1 to No.117) sold as downloadable PDFs at AU$15 each for non-members. Members receive complimentary access. Conference papers from 1998 onwards sold at AU$15 each.
6. Seminars on Demand: Modular video content on dam safety topics sold individually or as full courses. Individual modules range from AU$25-80, full courses range from AU$195-250. Members receive complimentary access.
7. Dam Safety Course Fees: ANCOLD Dam Safety Liabilities and Corporate Governance Course offered to organisations at AU$2,000 + GST plus presenter expenses. Course is customized for Australian board members, political advisors, CEOs and senior executives.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

ANCOLD develops, publishes, and distributes peer-reviewed technical guidelines, bulletins, conference papers, recorded seminars, and historical publications covering all aspects of dam engineering, design, construction, operation, safety, and environmental management. The association also delivers professional training (Dam Safety Liabilities and Corporate Governance Course), industry events (Annual Conference, Dam Operators Forum, Tailings Dam Operators Forum), a mentoring program, and member communities including the Tailings Dams Community, while representing Australia on 16 of 35 ICOLD Technical Committees.

Product overview

ANCOLD (The Australian National Committee on Large Dams Inc.) is a professional membership association for the dams industry in Australia, not a unified software product. The core product portfolio consists of published knowledge resources: the Digital Guidelines suite (12 publications available via subscription), Hard Copy Guidelines (individual physical publications), Conference Papers (from 1998 onwards), Seminars on Demand (recorded video courses), Bulletins (historical publications from 1961-2001), and Historical Publications documenting dam history. These are supplemented by professional development offerings including the Dam Safety Liabilities and Corporate Governance Course, the Emerging Professionals Mentoring Program (via Mentorloop), and community interest groups including the Tailings Dams Community. The organization also facilitates events including the Annual Conference, Dam Operators Forum, and Tailings Dam Operators Forum. Members receive complimentary access to papers, bulletins, seminars, and discounted guideline subscriptions. Products are distributed through a website-based e-commerce platform with individual purchase and subscription options.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• ANCOLD Guidelines (Digital and Hardcopy)
• ANCOLD Conference Papers
• ANCOLD Seminars on Demand
• ANCOLD Bulletins
• ANCOLD Historical Publications
• ANCOLD Dam Safety Liabilities and Corporate Governance Course
• ANCOLD Annual Conference
• ANCOLD Dam Operators Forum
• ANCOLD Tailings Dam Operators Forum
• Register of Large Dams in Australia

Named customers10 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration1 record

Feature4 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• ICOLD (International Commission on Large Dams)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 1937ANCOLD was established in 1937 as the Australian National Committee of ICOLD and has remained an active and committed member ever since. ICOLD supports around 35 Technical Committees examining developments across dam engineering and management. ANCOLD is currently represented on 16 of the 35 active ICOLD Technical Committees. Through ICOLD, ANCOLD members have access to over 180 technical bulletins, the World Register of Dams, and international knowledge networks.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• AusIMM (Australasian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy): Australia's peak professional body for mining professionals, overlapping with ANCOLD in the tailings dam community and serving similar mining-sector clients with broader membership services.
• Engineers Australia: Australia's peak body for engineering professionals across all disciplines, providing broader membership and chartered credentialing that overlaps with ANCOLD's emerging-professionals audience.
• American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE): Large US-based professional society for civil engineers that publishes codes, standards, and conferences partially overlapping with ANCOLD's dam engineering remit.

Direct peers

• Canadian Dam Association (CDA): Canada's national ICOLD committee and peak body for dam engineering, publishing the Canadian Dam Safety Guidelines and operating a nearly identical membership, guidelines, and conference model to ANCOLD.
• New Zealand Society on Large Dams (NZSOLD): New Zealand's national ICOLD committee covering dam engineering, guidelines, and member services for the closely related trans-Tasman dams industry.
• British Dam Society (BDS): UK national ICOLD committee providing a membership body and technical publications on dam engineering for British practitioners, with the same role and structure as ANCOLD.
• United States Society on Dams (USSD): US national committee of ICOLD serving as the membership body for US dam engineering professionals, producing technical guidelines and hosting an annual conference with the same audience as ANCOLD.

Others

• International Association for Hydro-Environment Engineering and Research (IAHR): Global independent membership organisation covering hydro-environment engineering and research, addressing adjacent technical audiences to ANCOLD including hydraulics, spillways, and dam hydraulics research.
• Water Services Association of Australia (WSAA): Australian water utility industry body whose members (WaterNSW, SA Water, Seqwater, Water Corporation) overlap heavily with ANCOLD's sustaining membership base.
• ICOLD - International Commission on Large Dams: Global apex body that ANCOLD represents Australia within. ICOLD coordinates ~100 national committees, sets international technical bulletins, and convenes the World Register of Dams that ANCOLD members access.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/ANCOLDAustralia
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/ancold-the-australian-national-committee-on-large-dams-inc
• Instagraminstagram.com/ancold_australia

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles16 records

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 ANCOLD The Australian National Committee on Large Dams Inc.