Hydroelectric power plants in Valais, operated for half a century, continue to function
The picturesque valley of Valais, Switzerland, was filled with a sense of nostalgia and excitement as the 50th anniversary of the Emosson dam was celebrated on Thursday. The Franco-Swiss hydropower plant, a cornerstone of the Swiss energy system, has been producing renewable electricity for half a century.
The Emosson dam, the 'big brother' of the first reservoir, was built 20 years later. It is the second largest in Switzerland, with a storage capacity of 225 million cubic meters of water. The water, collected from the Mont Blanc massif, is channelled through around 50 kilometers of tunnels and turbined at two power plants: the Vallorcine power plant near Chamonix-Mont-Blanc in France and the La Bâtiaz power plant in Martigny VS, Switzerland.
The official ceremony was attended by representatives of the French and Swiss authorities, including Benoît Revaz, Director of the Swiss Federal Office of Energy (SFOE), who referred to the Emosson dam as a 'pillar of the Swiss energy system'. Amédée Murisier, Chairman of the Board of Directors of Electricité d'Emosson, also in attendance, stated that the plant's predecessors showed great ingenuity and that the Emosson dam is a living legacy.
Since its inception, the hydropower plant has produced more than 40 kilowatt hours of renewable electricity. On the French side, the municipality of Vallorcine plays a key role in operations. The Emosson dam and its facilities are located in the municipality of Finhaut VS and affect five other Swiss concession municipalities: Salvan, Martigny, Martigny-Combe, Trient, and Vernayaz.
The region where the dam is located has a history of hydropower for three generations. Swiss company Alpiq and the French company EDF each own 50 percent of Electricité d'Emosson SA. All of the electricity generated at the Emosson dam will be made available to Alpiq, one of Switzerland's leading energy service providers.
Looking towards the future, the Emosson dam is set for expansion. The company Vinci plans to raise the height of the dam by 21.5 meters to increase reservoir capacity, implementing construction work from 2024 to 2027 at the Emosson site in Switzerland. This expansion is expected to store around 116 million additional kilowatt hours for the winter.
The 'little sister', the Nant de Drance pumped storage power plant, completes the series of important hydroelectric power plants in the valley. As the Emosson dam enters its sixth decade, it continues to play a vital role in Switzerland's renewable energy production, a testament to its enduring ingenuity and importance.
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