Welcome to the Muséoscope of Serre-Ponçon lake
The hydroelectric plant of Serre-Ponçon
is one of the most powerful of France
The hydroelectric plant of Serre-Ponçon produces about 700 million kWh per year, which corresponds approximately to the consumption of the departement of the Hautes-Alpes. With an output of 380 MW (1/3 of a nuclear reactor), it is the most powerful hydroelectric plant in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur Region, and one of the most powerful in France.
![By the opening of the spillway gate (dam water release) a great spray of water of many cubic meter springs out a great spray of water of many cubic meter Dam of Serre-Ponçon](https://museoscope-du-lac.com/media/images/sections/1/132/43_20150323160402.jpg)
But Serre-Ponçon is the reservoir from where the EDF canal of the Durance starts. The latter carries the water stored in the reservoir of Serre-Ponçon and runs over 250 km, down to the Saint Chamasplant, located on the banks of the Etang de Berre. Throughout this channel, 15 hydropower plants successively turbine the water.
![The earth dam of Serre-Poçon](https://museoscope-du-lac.com/media/images/sections/1/133/44_20150323161008.jpg)
![The earth dam of Serre-Poçon](https://museoscope-du-lac.com/media/images/sections/1/133/45_20150323161012.jpg)
![The earth dam of Serre-Poçon](https://museoscope-du-lac.com/media/images/sections/1/133/46_20150323161005.jpg)
Upstream of the Lake Serre-Ponçon, 8 hydropower plants were built on the Durance and its tributaries. With the plants of the Verdon, a tributary of the Durance, the entire hydroelectric chain of the Durance - Verdon gathers 32 plants. This assembly forms one of the five most important hydraulic deposit of France (1 / 6th of the advanced hydraulic means).
7 billion kWh of potential output
This Durance - Verdon assembly shows a potential output of 7 billion kWh, corresponding to:
- 10% of the French hydraulic generation,
- 40 to 60% of the electricity production in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur Region, a vital production for the region that now consumes twice as much electricity than it produces
- 15 to 20% of the consumption in the Provence-Alpes Côte d'Azur Region
A valuable asset
19 power plants of the Durance - Verdon chain are remotely controlled by computer and simultaneously from the joint command post of Sainte-Tulle, near Manosque. This centralized operation ensures synchronized functioning with a capacity of 2,000 MW, the equivalent of two nuclear reactors.
Within 10 minutes, this production potential can be mobilized, a valuable asset to respond in real time to changes in the consumption of electricity or to deal with failures of the electrical system.