UPDATED 1 Sept: The EI library in London is temporarily closed to the public, as a precautionary measure in light of the ongoing COVID-19 situation. The Knowledge Service will still be answering email queries via email , or via live chats during working hours (09:15-17:00 GMT). Our e-library is always open for members here: eLibrary , for full-text access to over 200 e-books and millions of articles. Thank you for your patience.
Swiss dam raised by 20 metres to enable pumped storage
The final block of concrete has been poured to complete the work of raising the height of the Vieux-Emosson dam in Switzerland by 20 metres.
The work was carried out as part of the building of the Nant de Drance pumped storage power station, and enables the storage capacity of the Vieux-Emosson reservoir to be doubled. The added potential water volume will ensure enough flexibility to benefit fully from the future station’s installed capacity of 900 MW. Commissioning of the power station is planned for the end of 2018.
The process of raising the dam involved adding 475 concrete blocks 1.5 metres high by 12 metres wide to the original dam. The dam now measures 65 metres high and 170 metres long at the top. The reservoir's storage capacity can now reach 25mn m3, which equates to approximately 20 hours of turbine operation.
Excavation of the machine cavern for the plant was finished in March 2014 and preparations for the installation of the six groups of pump turbines have also started. Drilling of the second vertical shaft was completed in June and installation of liners is underway in various sections. The power station will become operational in stages starting in 2018.
News Item details
Journal title: Energy World
Countries: Switzerland -
Subjects: Pumped storage plants, Primary energy production, Reservoir engineering, Power stations
