Grande Dixence Dam

Geschichte

The Grande Dixence Dam is a concrete gravity dam on the Dixence River at the head of the Val d'Hérens in the canton of Valais in Switzerland. At 285 m high, it is the tallest gravity dam in the world and is part of the Cleuson-Dixence Complex. With the primary purpose of hydroelectric power generation, the dam fuels four power stations, totaling the installed capacity to 2,069 MW, generating approximately 2,000 GWh annually, enough to power 400,000 Swiss households.
The dam withholds Lac des Dix, its reservoir. With a surface area of 4 km², it is the second largest lake in Valais and the largest lake above 2,000 m in the Alps. The reservoir receives its water from four different pumping stations; the Z’Mutt, Stafel, Ferpècle and Arolla. At peak capacity, it contains approximately 400,000,000 m³ of water, with depths reaching up to 284 m. Construction on the dam began in 1950 and was completed in 1964, before officially commissioning in 1965.

"Le barrage de la Grande Dixence, plus haut barrage-poids du monde, fait partie d’un vaste aménagement qui comprend quatre stations de pompage Z’Mutt, Stafel, Ferpècle et Arolla et trois usines de production Fionnay, Nendaz et Bieudron, d’une puissance totale de 2000 MW.Le complexe hydroélectrique de Grande Dixence produit ainsi chaque année quelque 2 milliards de kWh et représente le 20% de l’énergie d’accumulation en Suisse. Il permet d’alimenter en électricité l’équivalent de 500’000 ménages."