Barrage de Serre Poncon

The 20 km long reservoir is more than 29 square km in size and contains more than 1.2 billion cubic meters of water at high tide. All this is used for the generation of electrical energy. In and behind the dam, provisions have been made for the generation of 700 million kilowatt hours per year; that's about a tenth of what hydropower is extracted in France. This power is provided by 16 hydropower generators. Downstream, up to the Rhône River, the Durance is interrupted even more frequently by hydroelectric power stations of EDF, the French national energy company that also manages the Barrage de Serre-Ponçon.

Another function of the dam is to control the river Durance, with which irrigation and drinking water supply can be guaranteed. In the past (1843 and 1856) there had been quite a few floods where the damage could reach to the surroundings of Avignon. In 1895, therefore, a start was made on investigating possibilities to contain the Durance.

Nowadays, the lake also has a tourist function. Many water recreation and sports as well as facilities for them have developed over time around the lake. Especially the region around Embrun benefits enormously from this.

Wim Hak