Eiffage Énergie Systèmes helps rebuild Viterbe micro-hydro plant

In order to comply with ecological standards and meet EDF's feed-in tariff criteria, Viterbe micro-hydro power station (located in the Tarn department, close to Brazis power station) was demolished and rebuilt 100 m further along the River Agout.

“By moving Viterbo micropower station a hundred metres downstream, we were able to transform the old tailrace canal into a headrace canal, enabling the water to be channelled to the new fully submerged machines," explained Émilie Alletru-Guillard, hydropower project manager for the Green Energy programme. “And no need for a fish pass! The two Very Low Head (VLH) turbines we've fitted rotate at low speed, allowing fish to swim downstream and, to make the new plant truly fish-friendly, an eel ramp has been added at the entrance to the intake canal," continued Émilie.

This project has enabled the micropower station to increase its output from 250 kW to 400 kW, equivalent to the annual consumption of 600 households, and will also make it more resilient to flooding from the Agout. The technical room housing the circuit breaker, transformer and MV substation was built high up to protect the equipment from 100-year flooding.

Viterbe micropower station is the last in a series of five hydropower plants on the Agout river to be upgraded, renovated or rebuilt since 2020. It was handed over to Eiffage Concessions on 1 December 2023, after nine months of work.