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This is the first episode of the official podcast for the LNEC Lisbon Conference 2026, which takes place on 21 and 22 October, focusing on the central theme "Dams and the energy transition".

In this conversation, the Chair of the LNEC Board of Directors, Eng. Laura Caldeira, highlighted that today’s dams go far beyond their historical function of water storage and flood control. Nowadays, these structures act as veritable "batteries" for storing surplus renewable energy, enabling the country to manage peaks in production and consumption in a clean, sustainable way, without the environmental impacts associated with conventional lithium batteries.

Throughout the episode, the president also addressed the challenges facing engineering in the face of climate change - such as the need to adapt flood spillways in light of the phenomenon of "storm trains" - and the vital importance of constant monitoring and safety throughout the entire lifespan of these large structures.

Far from being a traditional engineering conference, this year’s event aims to foster a broad and multidisciplinary discussion, incorporating debates on artificial intelligence, BIM methodology, energy networks and new equipment. The aim, concludes Laura Caldeira, is to bring together the expertise of a wide range of specialists to understand not only the physical structure of dams, but also “everything associated with the structure” in a rapidly changing world.

🎧 Subscribe now and stay tuned for the upcoming episodes!

You can listen to it on Spotify or YouTube.