PDF - 9Mo - Grande Dixence SA

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GD. P.10Epic constructionof the damsWater tells a taleWater…The primeval element without which there can be no life.Water…Silent, tranquil, asleep in Lake Dix.Water…Wild and turbulent, raging through the turbines.Water…An inexhaustible source of energy.Valais Canton possesses the most beautiful, the mostinestimable of riches: white gold! With its 900 km 2 ofeternal snows, it is Switzerland’s water tower. A preciousreservoir of life and energy in the heart of Europe.Thanks to its altitude and Alpine foothills, more thantwo thirds of the rainfall is kept in solid form over thewinter. When spring and summer come, snow and icebecome liquid.People have always attempted to domesticate the bubbling,vital flow. They have battled against water andits outbursts. But above all, they have fought for waterand the blessings it brings. Valais Canton has witnessedthese struggles throughout its history: thepainstaking work of raising dykes along the river Rhônein order to bring it under control; the extraordinary networkof 200 “bisses” or canals that collect essentialwater for pasture and rye crops from the valley head;the ingenious system for irrigating the vines.Closer to us in time, the last century saw the epic constructionof the dams, the titanic struggle deep in themountains to catch and store the most incredible formof energy: hydroelectricity. Today, thanks to the dams,Valais Canton generates 10 billion kWh of this clean,renewable and environmentally-friendly energy.One of the outstanding episodes in the conquest ofthis “white coal” was without a doubt the building ofthe Grande Dixence complex. This scheme, worthy ofthe Pharaohs of ancient Egypt, is the jewel in the crowncreated by human ingenuity and courage to harnessthe potential of a unique glacial basin covering 350 km 2 .Immediately after the Second World War, Switzerlandneeded energy to develop its industries. In 1945, theSwiss Federal Water Department took stock of thecountry’s hydropower potential. When the expertsanalysed the possibilities of the Rhône basin, they concludedthat there were still some valleys that couldprofitably be developed.
GD. P.111951: Construction works start at Grande Dixenceto collect water from the Viège (Matter Valley) andthe Borgne (Hérens Valley) rivers. The first Dixencedam, built barely 15 years before, is to be submergedin the new lake, engulfed by a constructionsite on an absolutely record scale.1965: The Grande Dixence scheme is operational.It has taken around 15 years of unremitting workand 3000 men labouring tirelessly in shifts to realisethis dream of modern times… an invertedpyramid, an inexhaustible source of energy.Stafel, construction of the afterbay reservoir
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Page 15 and 16: GD. P.153000 men totame the powerof
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Page 19 and 20: GD. P.19Ropeway shuttle
Page 21 and 22: GD. P.21Typesof damGravity damGrand
Page 23 and 24: GD. P.23Nendaz power plant, excavat
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Page 29 and 30: GD. P.29The highest wallin the worl
Page 33 and 34: GD. P.33VIEGERIVERSTAFELSTATIONALT:
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Page 37 and 38: GD. P.37Stafelpumping stationAt the
Page 39 and 40: GD. P.39Ferpècle afterbay reservoi
Page 41 and 42: GD. P.41Arollapumping stationA high
Page 43 and 44: GD. P.43Lake Dix
Page 51 and 52: GD. P.51Fionnay power plant
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Page 55 and 56: GD. P.551234567Nendaz steel-lined p
Page 57 and 58: GD. P.57Bieudron power plant
Page 59 and 60: GD. P.59Extreme pressures!The penst
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GD. P.65CEGElectricity prices vary
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GD. P.711 kWh1 MWh1 GWh1 TWhUNITS O
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