EDF’s La Coche Hydro Savoie Plant Inaugurated
The new La Coche power plant Savoie was inaugurated by Jean-Bernard Levy, the EDF Group’s Chairman and Chief Executive. The new plant will increase the total capacity of the La Coche pumped-storage hydro facility by 20%. Amounting to 150 million Euros in capital expenditure, this investment confirms the Group’s commitment to the development of hydro power, which is the world’s main source of renewable energy whilst accounting for 12.4% of France’s electrical output. The commissioning of this new facility, combined with upgrades being made to the existing pumped-storage plant, is also helping to further develop electrical power storage technologies, an area which is being strongly supported by the EDF Group via its Storage Plan.
The second biggest hydro project in France after the one currently underway at Romanche-Gavet (Isere), this new facility features France’s most powerful Pelton wheel (240 MW). It comes in addition to La Coche’s underground power plant, which is already in operation. Commissioned in 1976, this pumped-storage plant pumps water from the Aigueblanche dam towards the La Coche impoundment, where it stores energy that is constantly available to meet demand spikes. It therefore plays a strategic role in balancing the power grid, more specifically supporting the integration of variable renewable-energy sources.
With this new plant, La Coche’s hydro facilities will now generate as much power as that annually used by 270 000 inhabitants (tantamount to the size of a city like Strasbourg) thanks to a renewable, flexible and storable energy source.
Of the 150 million Euros spent on this asset, 84 million Euros have gone towards supporting regional businesses including nearly 30 million Euros for Savoie. 500 local jobs have been created or maintained in the region thanks to project-related investments whilst 11 jobs have been created to support labour-market integration.
Source : Strategic Research Institute