__NOTOC__ The Lac d'Émosson (Lake Émosson) is a

reservoir A reservoir (; from French ''réservoir'' ) is an enlarged lake behind a dam. Such a dam may be either artificial, built to store fresh water or it may be a natural formation. Reservoirs can be created in a number of ways, including contro ...

in the canton of

Valais Valais ( , , ; frp, Valês; german: Wallis ), more formally the Canton of Valais,; german: Kanton Wallis; in other official Swiss languages outside Valais: it, (Canton) Vallese ; rm, (Chantun) Vallais. is one of the cantons of Switzerland, 26 ...

Switzerland ). Swiss law does not designate a ''capital'' as such, but the federal parliament and government are installed in Bern, while other federal institutions, such as the federal courts, are in other cities (Bellinzona, Lausanne, Luzern, Neuchâtel ...

. It is located in the municipalities of Salvan and

Finhaut Finhaut is a municipality in the district of Saint-Maurice in the canton of Valais in Switzerland. History Finhaut is first mentioned in 1293 as ''Finyaux''. Geography Finhaut has an area, , of . Of this area, 3.2% is used for agricultural ...

. The closest small city in Switzerland is

Martigny Martigny (; german: Martinach, ; la, Octodurum) is the capital city of the district of Martigny, canton of Valais, Switzerland. It lies at an elevation of , and its population is approximately 15000 inhabitants (''Martignerains'' or "Octodurie ...

. The lake has a surface area of 3.27 km² and an elevation of 1,930 m. The maximum depth is 161 m. The purpose of the

Émosson Dam The Émosson Dam (french: Barrage d'Émosson) is a hydroelectric dam development located in Switzerland in the canton of Valais. History A company (Électricité d'Émosson SA) was created in 1954 to build the dam. The Franco-Swiss development, ...

hydroelectric Hydroelectricity, or hydroelectric power, is electricity generated from hydropower (water power). Hydropower supplies one sixth of the world's electricity, almost 4500 TWh in 2020, which is more than all other renewable sources combined and ...

power generation. Water from the reservoir first powers the 189 MW Vallorcine Power Station downstream and just over the border in

Vallorcine Vallorcine () is a Communes of France, commune in the Haute-Savoie Departments of France, department in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes Regions of France, region in southeastern France. In 2018, it had a population of 404. Geography Vallorcine is locat ...

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

. Water is then sent through a headrace tunnel to the 162 MW La Bâtiaz Power Station, to the east in

, Switzerland. The drop between the dam and La Bâtiaz Power Station is . The first dam of Émosson (also known as Barberine Dam) was built in 1925. The current dam with a height of 180 m was constructed between 1969 and August 1973 and floods the old dam. The reservoir was fully impounded on 10 September 1975, it increased the reservoir's volume from 40 million m³ to 227 million m³. The old dam can still be seen when the water level in the Lac d'Émosson is very low. The lake serves as the lower reservoir for the 900 MW Nant de Drance Hydropower Plant which began operations in 2022. In 1955, another dam was built 300m higher above the now existing lake. This lake is now known as the Lac du Vieux Émosson. The dam can be reached by road or by a funicular-train-funicular trip. The Châtelard

funicular railway A funicular (, , ) is a type of cable railway system that connects points along a railway track laid on a steep slope. The system is characterized by two counterbalanced carriages (also called cars or trains) permanently attached to opposite en ...

is the first used from the valley bottom, it is the steepest 2-cabin funicular railway in the world with a gradient of 87 percent.Funimag: Funiculaire Minifunic
/ref> Emosson Construction.jpg, Construction of the new Émosson dam, 1971 Staumauer Lac d'Emosson.jpg, Detail of the arch dam Émosson1.jpg, Lac d’Émosson, viewed from Col du Passet Minifunic d'Emosson.jpg, Minifunic du Châtelard VS Emosson Alte Gewichtsmauer.jpg, The old gravity dam is visible when the water level is low

Notes

External links

Cycling profile for climb to Émosson

Cable car and attraction park
* Emosson Emosson Emosson Emosson Tourist attractions in Switzerland Funicular railways in Switzerland Hydroelectric power stations in Switzerland Hydroelectric power stations in France {{Switzerland-struct-stub

See also

Notes

External links