New Bridges Hydroelectric Power Station

The Ponts Neufs hydroelectric power station was built in 1894 by the Anonymous Company of Electric Energy, whose headquarters is located in Saint-Brieuc (22). Four years later, the machine room was enlarged to accommodate a hydraulic turbine developing 75 hp. In 1904, a warehouse and a residence were built on the site. The dam of the Ponts Neufs pond was regulated by a prefectural decree dated June 15, 1911, which specifies the conditions for using the borrowed driving force by the Electric Energy Company of Saint-Brieuc at the Ponts Neufs pond for the operation of the plant. The free outlet of the spillway is set at 18.50 m and that of the discharge valve at 4.50 m. Covering an area of about 15 hectares, the Ponts Neufs pond is fed by the rivers Gouessant, Evron, and the Gouranton brook. This pond serves as a water reserve intended for the production, through hydraulic power, of the electrical energy necessary to ensure the lighting of the city of Saint-Brieuc. A simple earthen dam, 90 m long and 38.14 m high, separates the pond from the power station. In 1914, the Anonymous Company of Electric Energy sold the facility to the central gas lighting company Eugène Lebon and Co., whose headquarters is in Paris (75). The hydraulic equipment was then replaced by modern devices. In 1920, the hydroelectric power station was rebuilt and underwent significant restructuring with works aimed at improving the use of the water fall and thereby increasing its power. It underwent two renovation campaigns in 1950 and 1978. The pressure conduit has a three-way distributor; it measures 25 m in length and has a cross-section of 2.50 m². Now the property of EDF, the hydroelectric power station is still in operation.

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