Infrastructure

Electricité d'Emosson SA

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The Franco-Swiss Emosson hydroelectric scheme has been operated since 1975 by Electricité d'Emosson SA. It is symbolised by the Emosson dam, located at the Gueulaz pass, whose waters cover the old Barberine dam built by the Swiss Federal Railways in 1925.
The use of the water accumulated in the Emosson reservoir on the 1400 m high raw waterfall available to the Rhone valley is carried out in two stages, with a power station in Vallorcine (France) and one in Martigny-La Bâtiaz.

The secondary waterfall at Les Esserts-Vallorcine can directly turbine the water from the eastern collector when it is not pumped to Emosson, and then direct it to the lower Vallorcine-La Bâtiaz waterfall.

The water is returned to the Rhône near Martigny. The total production of the Emosson-Vallorcine and Le Châtelard-La Bâtiaz falls is 870 GWh, i.e. 250 GWh in summer and 620 GWh in winter. The energy absorbed for the Les Esserts-Emosson pumping station represents 110 GWh per year.