Pont-Saint-Martin Power Plant
The history of the Pont-Saint-Martin reservoir hydroelectric plant has its roots in the early 1900s, when it was built. The power plant building, with its exposed stone wall structure perfectly integrated into the landscape, is located in a particularly impressive position set just upstream from the imposing Roman bridge that gives the village its name, built during the Romanization campaign in the valley (around 25 B.C.).
In 1958, when the machinery was replaced, the station next to the power plant was also built. In addition, the water flow rate has been increased: a third pipeline has been installed alongside the two existing ones, and three higher-powered generator sets, totalling 45 MW, have been installed. Thus, renewable hydropower generation increased to 158,000,000 kWh/year.
The Pont-Saint-Martin plant is home to the Lower Valley Operations Department, a unit that manages the personnel involved in the maintenance of the eleven plants under its jurisdiction (Gressoney, Sendren, Zuino, Issime, Pont-Saint-Martin, Bard, Quincinetto, Hone 1, Hone 2, Verres and Isollaz).
Characteristics of the plant
Key information
Municipality: Pont-Saint-Martin (AO)
Commissioning: year 1920
Watercourse: Lys stream
Intake structure: Guillemore Basin
Other information
Altitude: 349 m asl
Refurbishment: year 1958
Catchment basin: 237 km2
Diversion canal: open-channel flow (10 km)
Other information
Units: no. 3 with Pelton turbine
Concession jump: 541 m
Flow rate: 9.5 m3/s
Power: 45 MW