Grande Dixence S.A. is a Société Anonyme operating in Switzerland which runs the Bieudron Hydro Project and the Grande Dixence Dam in the Val d'Hérens, Valais. Grande Dixence is primarily concerned with the production of hydroelectricity by harnessing the hydropower associated with the steep changes of elevation found in the part of the Alps.
The company has a share capital of 300 million CHF, divided between four share holders.
The Grande Dixence Dam is a concrete gravity dam on the Dixence at the head of the Val d'Hérens in the canton of Valais in Switzerland. At 285 m (935 ft) high, it is the tallest gravity dam in the world and is part of the Cleuson-Dixence Complex. With the primary purpose of hydroelectric power generation, the dam fuels four power stations, totaling the installed capacity to 2,069 MW, generating approximately 2,000 GWh annually, enough to power 400,000 Swiss households.
The dam withholds Lac des Dix (Lake Dix), its reservoir. With a surface area of 4 km², it is the second largest lake in Valais and the largest lake above 2,000 m in the Alps. The reservoir receives its water from four different pumping stations; the Z’Mutt, Stafel, Ferpècle and Arolla. At peak capacity, it contains approximately 400,000,000 m3 (1.4×1010 cu ft) of water, with depths reaching up to 284 m (932 ft). Construction on the dam began in 1950 and was completed in 1964, before officially commissioning in 1965.
Grande Dixence may refer to: