Marèges Dam
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The Marèges Dam is a concrete
arch dam An arch dam is a concrete dam that is curved upstream in plan. The arch dam is designed so that the force of the water against it, known as hydrostatic pressure, presses against the arch, causing the arch to straighten slightly and strengtheni ...
on the Dordogne River. It is located southeast of
Liginiac Liginiac (; ) is a commune in the Corrèze department in central France. Geography The Triouzoune forms most of the commune's western boundary. Population See also *Communes of the Corrèze department The following is a list of the 277 ...
in
Corrèze Corrèze (; ) is a département in France, named after the river Corrèze which runs through it. Although its prefecture is Tulle, its most populated city is Brive-la-Gaillarde. Corrèze is located in the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region, on the bo ...
department, France. It was constructed between 1932 and 1935 by the Railway Company du Midi. Its primary purpose is the generation of
hydroelectricity 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 ...
and the original power station contained four
Francis turbine The Francis turbine is a type of water turbine. It is an inward-flow reaction turbine that combines radial and axial flow concepts. Francis turbines are the most common water turbine in use today, and can achieve over 95% efficiency. The pro ...
-generators. The dam and its power plant was built to help France become less dependent on costly energy resource imports after
World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...
. The fifth Francis turbine-generator, rated at 122 MW, at the Saint Pierre power station, on the left bank of the river, was commissioned in 1988. The dam, designed by André Coyne, incorporated several innovative features to include a ski-jump
spillway A spillway is a structure used to provide the controlled release of water downstream from a dam or levee, typically into the riverbed of the dammed river itself. In the United Kingdom, they may be known as overflow channels. Spillways ensure tha ...
, the right
abutment An abutment is the substructure at the ends of a bridge span or dam supporting its superstructure. Single-span bridges have abutments at each end that provide vertical and lateral support for the span, as well as acting as retaining walls ...
anchored with a prestressed cables and monitored with
vibrating wire A vibrating wire sensor measures the opening of a joint from the stretch of a wire being made to vibrate at acoustical frequency. Since the wire is made of an elastic metal, this type of sensor can be used to measure pulling forces within a cert ...
sensors (emitting an audible signals like a guitar), and a new
cofferdam A cofferdam is an enclosure built within a body of water to allow the enclosed area to be pumped out or drained. This pumping creates a dry working environment so that the work can be carried out safely. Cofferdams are commonly used for constru ...
design.


See also

*
Renewable energy in France Under its commitment to the EU renewable energy directive of 2009, France has a target of producing 23% of its total energy needs from renewable energy by 2020. This figure breaks down to renewable energy providing 33% of energy used in the heati ...


References


External links

* {{Authority control Dams completed in 1935 Energy infrastructure completed in 1935 Arch dams Dams in France Hydroelectric power stations in France Dordogne basin 20th-century architecture in France