The Émosson Dam () is a

hydroelectric Hydroelectricity, or hydroelectric power, is Electricity generation, electricity generated from hydropower (water power). Hydropower supplies 15% of the world's electricity, almost 4,210 TWh in 2023, which is more than all other Renewable energ ...

dam A dam is a barrier that stops or restricts the flow of surface water or underground streams. Reservoirs created by dams not only suppress floods but also provide water for activities such as irrigation, human consumption, industrial use, aqua ...

development located in

Switzerland Switzerland, officially the Swiss Confederation, is a landlocked country located in west-central Europe. It is bordered by Italy to the south, France to the west, Germany to the north, and Austria and Liechtenstein to the east. Switzerland ...

in the canton of

Valais Valais ( , ; ), more formally, the Canton of Valais or Wallis, is one of the cantons of Switzerland, 26 cantons forming the Switzerland, Swiss Confederation. It is composed of thirteen districts and its capital and largest city is Sion, Switzer ...

History

A company (Électricité d'Émosson SA) was created in 1954 to build the dam. The Franco-Swiss development, because of the source of capital, uses different pumping water sites and power generation plants. The construction was decided in April 1967. Previously, a border change was made so that the work was entirely on Swiss territory. Indeed, the border would have cut the dam into two. The communes concerned therefore conducted an exchange of territories, endorsed in 1963. Work began in 1967, and commissioning took place in 1975, eight years later. There was already a first dam on the course of the , the Barberine Dam, owned by

Swiss Federal Railways Swiss Federal Railways (, SBB; , CFF; , FFS) is the national railway company of Switzerland. The company was founded in 1902 and is headquartered in Bern. It used to be a State-owned enterprise, government institution, but since 1999 it has be ...

, for which it was necessary to obtain the authorisation to immerse the earlier structure in the reservoir of the new construction.

Origin of the waters

Three collectors transport the water to the Émosson Dam. The South Collector picks up the waters of the Argentière Glacier, the and the Lognan Glacier, mainly by subglacial water intakes. A free flow gallery of length leads the water by gravity to a shielded well where the water crosses the Trient Valley and then rises, always by gravity to the dam. The West Collector picks up the waters of the French vallies of Bérard and Tré-les-eaux. These waters are channelled by free-flow in a gallery of directly to the dam. The East Collector captures waters of La Fouly and below the

Trient Glacier The Trient Glacier () is a 4.3 km long glacier (2007) in the Mont Blanc Massif in the canton of Valais in Switzerland. In 1973 it had an area of 6.4 km². The upper part of the glacier forms a large plateau named ''Plateau du Trient'' ...

and led by a gallery of more than long to the Esserts basin, hence the water is either turbined directly at the Vallorcine power station, or pumped into the Émosson reservoir.

Location

The dam is located in the

Canton of Valais Valais ( , ; ), more formally, the Canton of Valais or Wallis, is one of the cantons of Switzerland, 26 cantons forming the Switzerland, Swiss Confederation. It is composed of thirteen districts and its capital and largest city is Sion, Switzer ...

, on the left bank of the

Rhône The Rhône ( , ; Occitan language, Occitan: ''Ròse''; Franco-Provençal, Arpitan: ''Rôno'') is a major river in France and Switzerland, rising in the Alps and flowing west and south through Lake Geneva and Southeastern France before dischargi ...

above

Martigny Martigny (; , ; ) is the capital city of the district of Martigny (district), Martigny, cantons of Switzerland, canton of Canton of Valais, Valais, Switzerland. It lies at an elevation of , and its population is approximately 20,000 inhabitants ( ...

. It is fed by the waters of the Mont Blanc massif. The Émosson Dam is

's third highest dam after the Grande Dixence and Mauvoisin Dams.

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Emosson Dam Hydroelectric power stations in Switzerland Dams in Switzerland Dams completed in 1972 Arch dams Valais 20th-century architecture in Switzerland