French pumped storage power station

Where is the Grand Maison pumped storage hydropower plant located?

The Grand Maison pumped storage hydropower plant is located in the Romanche valley, Isère, France. Image courtesy of Douchet Quentin. The 1.8GW Grand Maison hydropower station is owned and operated by EDF. Grand Maison is the biggest hydroelectric facility in France. Image courtesy of International Hydropower Association.

What is the biggest hydroelectric facility in France?

Grand Maison is the biggest hydroelectric facility in France. Image courtesy of International Hydropower Association. The 1.8GW Grand Maison hydroelectric power station at Allemont, Isere is the biggest hydropower facility in France, as well as the biggest pumped storage hydroelectric facility in Europe.

How does the Grand Maison power plant work?

The Grand Maison facility operates as a peaking power plant by pumping water from the lower reservoir to the upper reservoir for storage during periods of low electricity demand and by releasing the stored water from the upper reservoir for power generation when the electricity demand is high.

What is pumped storage hydropower?

The pumped storage hydropower project involved the construction of the Grand Maison Dam (Barrage de Grand’Maison) on L’Eau d’Olle, a tributary of the Romanche River. The Grand Maison Dam that creates the upper reservoir was built during 1978 and 1985, while the power station started commercial operations in 1987.

Where is the Grand Maison power station located?

The Grand Maison power station is situated in the French Alps within the Romanche valley between the Belledonne and Grandes Rousses massifs, in the southwestern Isere region of France. The 160m-tall and 550m-long Grand Maison rock-filled embankment dam is located at an altitude of 1,695m.

Who owns the EDF pumped storage facility?

Owned and operated by state-owned Electricite de France (EDF), the existing 360MW pumped storage facility has been operational since 1976. Preparatory earth works for the £131m (€150m) expansion of the plant was started in 2015, while the construction of the new generating unit was started in 2016.