Project description
The Bimont dam is a Class-A structure measuring 87 m in height and 180 m in length at its crest. It serves to secure the water supply for several communities in the Aix-en-Provence region, as well as for the irrigation of 8,000 hectares.
It supplies the Arc Valley industrial area, and satisfies 30% of demand for water in the Aix-en-Provence region and the Marseille agglomeration. The dam also plays a flood-retention role and produces electricity thanks to 2 micro-power plants.
The project aims to:
- Modernise the dam in line with regulatory and contractual objectives
- Raise the dam’s operating level to take account of future water needs
- Improve access to the site, which receives almost 200,000 visitors a year
This large-scale project also comprises works on other infrastructure during the upstream phases. The list below shows the main services provided by SCP in its capacity as project manager and owner, working in partnership with Tractebel Engineering:
- Microtunnelling in order to bypass the dam
- 3-dimensional numerical modelling
- Installation of a floating pipe across the counter-dam
- Reinforcement of the dam’s auscultation system
- Refurbishment of the micro-hydropower plant
- Diagnosis of all hydromechanical equipment
- Refurbishment of arch reinforcements
- Electrical refurbishment
- Installation of warning sirens
