One of the pillars of the company, Paolo Alfredo Pallavicini has over 50 years’ experience in the fields of dam design and hydropower design.

Graduated in Civil & Hydraulic Engineering from University of Rome in 1966, he embraced an academic career as assistant to professor Filippo Arredi luminary of dam design in the Hydraulic Department of the aforementioned university where he had the opportunity to further develop his notable engineering skills.

Two years later, captivated by his father's passion for dam design, he joined his future brother-in-law’s company at the age of 26. Since then the two have worked closely together, supporting each other’s ideas and inventing technical solutions that have given rise to SP’s internationally renowned expertise in the field of dam design and hydropower.

After the devastating drought in Ethiopia in 1984, SP realized the Tana-Beles integrated development project covering approximately 250,000 Ha of practically virgin territory in the Beles Valley to establish a self-sustained economy in the region for 80’000 inhabitants from drought-stricken areas.

Thanks to his multi-disciplinary skills, Mr. Pallavicini oversaw the preparation of the master plan, studies, final design and followed the construction of the entire project, which included one gravity dam design, an irrigation weir, fifty new villages with related services, a landing strip, regional hospital, communication system, pipe factory, land reclamation works, fishery, agriculture and livestock development.

He has always firmly defended his ofttimes innovative dam design solutions, such as his unconventional spillway design for the Legadadi dam in Ethiopia where, to demonstrate his absolute conviction in the soundness of his calculations, he sat on the wall of the ski jump while the flood gates were opened allowing the maximum flood to flow through.

Thanks to his great love for teaching, Mr. Pallavicini has become the technical point of reference for the whole firm, contributing greatly throughout his career to the training of young engineers and to the growth of the firm in the fields of dam design and hydropower.

During his outstanding career, he has gained a vast experience in dam design and hydropower (No. 70 dams, of which 42 constructed and No. 40 hydroelectric plants of which 15 constructed).