Upgrading La Coche pumped-storage plant

摘要

La Coche pumped-storage hydro plant in the French Alps is an underground scheme, which is undergoing upgrading works to increase its generating capacity. An unusual feature of the plant is the high percentage of standard gravity energy produced from a 28 km~2 network of headrace galleries collecting water from a catchment area of 250 km~2. The availability of the generation units has been low, because of excessive erosion during snowmelts. The upgrading works will therefore include the construction of an above ground power unit, which will increase peak production capacity.