Latest news

Flooding: our lab ready for action!

Following the bad weather in July, our lab was called upon to check the state of the oil in the transformers affected by the floods. 23.09.2024

Inspection of the Cleuson-Dixence penstock

The refurbishment of the Bieudron power station saw a wide-ranging inspection operation carried out, requiring the mobilisation of significant resources... 23.09.2024

Listening to machines to better predict wear

Cavitation is rarely monitored, but causes premature wear in hydraulic machines. As part of its predictive maintenance services, HYDRO offers a dedicated... 23.09.2024

Our teams on call in the event of flooding

Hydroelectric facilities are unable to prevent river flooding, but they can limit its extent. On the front line for emergencies, HYDRO’s teams do what is... 23.09.2024

Analysis of facilities for CNR

As part of a project launched by Compagnie nationale du Rhône, HYDRO was tasked with analysing HV and MV protection systems. 12.09.2024

Electrical engineering for Emosson

HYDRO has performed major electrical engineering work at the La Bâtiaz power station near Martigny on behalf of Electricité d’Emosson. 26.06.2024

New water intake adapted to flood conditions

The Bataille water intake in the Hérens valley is no longer vulnerable to the onslaught of debris flows. HYDRO has replaced it with a model better suited... 26.06.2024

Repair of a Francis turbine

Our Turbine Refurbishment and Testing Workshop in Martigny repaired a Francis turbine for Groupe E. A delicate operation. 26.06.2024

Rapport annuel 2023

HYDRO consolide sa position de leader sur le marché tout en se préparant à une nouvelle ère. 18.06.2024

Our central workshops: meticulousness and precision

At the end of 2023, our workshops completely overhauled and restored a head valve at Montbovon power station in the Gruyère region. It was a... 26.03.2024

Vaud Jura: replacement of transformers

As part of the refurbishment of its high-voltage installations at Les Clées power station, Romande Energie commissioned HYDRO to replace the transformers on... 26.03.2024

Water intake adapted to climate change

Retreat of the Tsidjiore Nouve glacier (Arolla), erosion, increased drift: the eponymous water intake has been revised to cope with the new climatic conditions. 26.03.2024

INSPECTIONS BY MEANS OF GROUND DRONE

Recent months have seen a ground drone added to our mobile inspection equipment. Cutting-edge technology for high precision in small-diameter pipes. 20.12.2023

THE INFINITELY SMALL AT THE SERVICE OF THE IMMENSELY LARGE

Rigour and precision are the order of the day when conducting structural deformation measurements: the data, key to the success operation of... 20.12.2023

CARAVEL: CALCULATING THE VALUE OF WATER

Caravel, the online platform being developed by HYDRO and CREALP, will enable the value of water to be calculated for its various uses. In the light of the... 25.09.2023

HEXITA: VOLTAGE REGULATOR MADE BY HYDRO

HYDRO has developed its own voltage regulator to manage the reactive power of synchronous machines. HEXita has already seen successful use on three machines,... 25.09.2023

MOVIE: SUSTAINABLE MANAGEMENT OF WATER RESOURCES

Drawing on its expertise in hydraulic monitoring, HYDRO has produced a short video presenting its services in this field. Expertise that goes beyond... 25.09.2023

ZMUTT: EUROPEAN RESEARCH PROJECT

As part of the European XFLEX HYDRO project, our teams have been working on the system controlling Zmutt’s reversible pump-turbine. The idea is to improve the... 25.09.2023

Gabi power plant: designing the electrical installations

The Gabi power plant was completely demolished in the spring of 2022 in preparation for its servicing and to optimise the production of... 29.06.2023

Repair of a penstock

OIKEN hired HYDRO Exploitation to carry out repair work on a penstock. A water leak had been detected during a video inspection by HYDRO in October 2022. 29.06.2023

Water intake at Stafel: construction of a grit chamber

Work was carried out at the Stafel pumping station in the autumn of 2021, to improve the efficiency of its sand traps. HYDRO Exploitation... 29.06.2023

Rapport annuel 2022

Un rôle majeur dans un moment clé. 20.06.2023

Control-command: making good choices

A number of precautions need to be taken with the acquisition of a new control-command, which is essentially the nervous system of a hydroelectric power plant. 29.03.2023

Monitoring for sediment management

The drainage basin of the Grande-Eau hydroelectric plant is monitored for the purposes of potentially adapting its mode of operation. HYDRO’s multidisciplinary... 29.03.2023

RENEWAL OF ZMUTT HV STATION

It took the HYDRO teams three winters to completely renew the Zmutt high-voltage substation, which supplies the largest pumping station in Grande Dixence, nearly 60 years... 29.03.2023

R10R: they were there!

Ricardo Henriques and Michel Vianin were among those spearheading the R10R (Réhabilitation Dix Rhône) project. Launched in 2016, this vast alpine project has witnessed the... 28.02.2023

Integrating a penstock into the landscape

Located on a steep slope, the penstock of the Farettes (Aigle) plant was disguised with landscaping measures to reduce its visual impact. A project headed... 10.01.2023

Overhaul of the valve and alternator

Called out to an EDF plant in the French Alps, our assembly team once again demonstrated its expertise in on-site work. 10.01.2023

Re-commissioning the control-command unit

HYDRO Exploitation updated the Fionnay power plant’s control-command unit and connected it to Swissgrid’s HV grid. Some of the staff present had already... 10.01.2023

Virtual Tour of Central Workshops

All manner of resources and expertise under one roof! Join a virtual tour to explore our Central Workshops in Martigny. 10.01.2023

Cryogenic cleaning: high-performance and speed

Cleaning is an essential step in the maintenance and repair of electrical machines. The use of natural and “green” cryogenic reduces the time it... 04.10.2022

Open Day

Open Day Central Workshops Martigny. HYDRO Exploitation put the small wheels on the big ones to welcome its guests at the open day. 04.10.2022

Swissgrid’s show of confidence

After winning the tender to replace electrical substation AIS 220kV in Fionnay, HYDRO Exploitation was given the opportunity to fulfil the most exacting demands. 04.10.2022

Technological monitoring is a must

The offer for inspecting structures with drones is evolving and HYDRO Exploitation is fully invested in this trend through its partnerships with specialised... 04.10.2022

The keys to success: anticipate and coordinate

Tasked with the job of cleaning up the injectors, our Central Workshops in Martigny carried out the work in record time given the current supply... 04.10.2022

Inspection of the structures: dive into the heart of the plants ages

The inspection and monitoring of civil and mechanical engineering structures is among HYDRO Exploitation’s range of high... 23.06.2022

Servicing Francis turbine wheels

Repairing a Francis turbine wheel requires specialist skills that can be found at HYDRO Exploitation’s Central Workshops in Martigny. 23.06.2022

Valorisation énergétique au cœur de Moiry

Pour les Forces Motrices de la Gougra, HYDRO Exploitation a piloté l’installation d’un groupe de dotation à l’intérieur du barrage. Une... 23.06.2022

Welding the penstock

Ensuring the lasting quality of the plants is a priority for the owners. It is in this context that HYDRO Exploitation SA often finds itself asked to carry out such work, as in... 23.06.2022

Laser tracker: flexibility and precision

Thanks to a high-performance tool, surveyors at HYDRO Exploitation have been providing highly accurate measurements and testing procedures for ten years. Not... 30.03.2022

Meeting our clients

HYDRO Exploitation will be exhibiting at the Powertage in Zurich and at Aqua Pro in Bulle. 30.03.2022

Why a supervisor is important

The commissioning of a hydroelectric power plant, regardless of its size, is a crucial and delicate step. Having some form of supervision offers an undeniable advantage... 30.03.2022

Working for EDF in Haute-Savoie

The HYDRO Exploitation assembly team carried out maintenance work on two power plants in the French Alps at the end of last year. Quality work and adherence to... 30.03.2022

Challenges for the polymechanics

Thanks to their new equipment, which cannot be found anywhere else in French-speaking Switzerland, the Central Workshops are taking on new challenges, from machining... 07.12.2021

Flexibility as a reinforcement

A strategic development threatened by the movements of a geological fault, the Tine’s feeder has been revamped. HYDRO Exploitation SA proposed, studied and... 07.12.2021

HVAC work at Bitsch

The Automation & Control team at HYDRO Exploitation made sure the automation of the heating, ventilation and air-conditioning system at the Bitsch plant was optimally replaced and... 07.12.2021

Le premier webinaire d'HYDRO Exploitation SA

Le 1er octobre a eu lieu notre webinaire « Les Aménagements hydrauliques : Monitoring au service de l’exploitation et de l’environnement. » 27.10.2021

Châteauneuf WWTP: regulations and command and control

This spring, we carried out the regulation and command and control of the aeration tanks at the Châteauneuf wastewater treatment plant (WWTP).... 28.09.2021

Conformity with transmission Code 2019 (TC2019)

The transmission code (TC) is a document that defines the rules and technical requirements that must be observed by all parties playing a significant... 28.09.2021

Thermodynamic method for energy optimisation

These past few months, our engineers have been working on efficiency measurements in three power plants using the thermodynamic method. Objective:... 28.09.2021

Ultra-high performance fibre-reinforced concretes: an alternative to protective sheeting

Designed mainly for the construction and maintenance of civil engineering structures, UHPC is a new generation... 28.09.2021

Measurements and electrical assessments

HYDRO exploitation is an expert in the maintenance of hydroelectric plants. To underpin its work, several diagnostic measures have been put in place so that... 17.06.2021

Nant de Drance: advances in the commissioning

The pumped storage project at Nant de Drance entered its commissioning phase in 2018. Thanks to the specialised skills of its staff in managing and... 17.06.2021

VITEOS SA: the analysis of transformer oils

VITEOS SA has been working together with our accredited oil testing laboratory for several years. This company, created with the merger of Services... 17.06.2021

Bricola catchment: repair of La Maya channel

During the night of 3 October 2020, very bad weather with heavy rainfall caused damage to the La Maya channel, which holds the intake pipes for the... 03.03.2021

ED –Belvédère: mechanical maintenance

EDF’s Unité de Production Méditerranée [Mediterranean generation unit] engaged us to carry out mechanical maintenance works in the Belvédère plant... 03.03.2021

First artificial flooding of the river Hongrin

Artificial flooding of the river Hongrin is required annually, in response to a decision on the cleaning up of water courses in the cantons of Vaud and... 03.03.2021

Services: high voltage (HV) substation engineering works

Engineering work to refurbish HV substations is just one of the services we offer customers who have entrusted the operation of their... 09.12.2020

Tannuwald and Serra: refurbishment of MV substations and their internal systems (LV)

As part of the refurbishment of the Tannuwald power plant we were asked to construct a medium voltage (MV)... 09.12.2020

Marécottes: refurbishment of the reservoir gates

In 2020, SBB scheduled a lengthy shutdown in order to reconstruct the penstock at Corbes, which forms an integral part of SBB’s Châtelard-Vernayaz... 08.12.2020

Châtelard: quality assurance for the renewal of the Corbes high-pressure shaft.

This year (2020) major works have been carried out on the Châtelard plant, owned by CFF. In addition to the... 23.09.2020

EES: Delivery of command and control

Following the replacement of group 3 ay Gondo, Energie Electrique du Simplon (EES) demonstrated its continuing confidence in us when it entrusted us with... 23.09.2020

Vissoie: Replacement of the penstock

On 2 July 2018, violent storms caused nearly 40 million Swiss francs worth of damage in Val d’Anniviers. The Navizence flooded, damaging nearby infrastructure.... 23.09.2020

Central workshops: a new milling centre, unique in French-speaking Switzerland

Commissioning of our new CORREA AXIA 70 milling centre in our machining workshop, to take place soon, will open up a new... 03.06.2020

Mechanical measurement: we offer cutting-edge capability

In order to ensure the long-term durability of hydroelectric plants, while aiming to improve their performance, HYDRO Exploitation has... 03.06.2020

Nouveau centre d'usinage dans nos ateliers

Nous sommes fiers de vous annoncer l'acquisition d'un nouveau centre d'usinage «Box in Box» modèle CORREA AXIA 70 dans nos ateliers centraux de Martigny. 18.03.2020

Fossau: coordination of commissioning the plant and putting it into operation.

At the end of 2018, Energie Renouvelable Vouvry (ERV) hired us to coordinate the commissioning of their new plant, the... 04.03.2020

In-house training for Swiss dam technicians

HYDRO Exploitation organised a technical training day for Swiss dam technicians in October 2019, against the impressive backdrop of the Grande Dixence Dam.... 04.03.2020

La Peuffeyre: restoration of fish migration

At the end of 2019, we constructed two artificial sills on the Avançon d’Anzeinde river for our client Romande Energie SA in order to remove barriers... 04.03.2020

Strengthening our transformer diagnostics services

We recently purchased two new diagnostic instruments to determine the condition of transformers and perform testing procedures. We offer these... 04.03.2020

Expertise in Systems Services: the Primary Setting

The partial liberalisation of the electricity market has made systems services financially attractive for asset managers. This offers an opportunity... 23.10.2019

FMA: Sublin Discharge Conduit Replacement

In 2016, FMA (Forces Motrices de l’Avançon) contracted us to replace most of the Vignasse discharge conduit, which is nearly 120 years old. This 900 mm... 23.10.2019

Wheel Refurbishing Workshop: New Technologies and Expanded Performance

Our Wheel Refurbishing Workshop (RR) is dedicated to the repair of pump and turbine wheels abraded by water-borne sediments. The... 23.10.2019

3D Scanning & Reverse Engineering

3D scanning is a non-contact measurement technology used for data acquisition (in a scatter plot format) for the purpose of creating a solid model. Thanks to our... 19.06.2019

CFF: Refurbishing of the control-command system at the Vernayaz and Châtelard plants

At the end of 2018, we were asked to renew the automated systems at the Vernayaz and Châtelard power plants by... 19.06.2019

Zmutt: renewal of the Medium Voltage (MV) Substations

During the winter, HYDRO Exploitation renewed the Medium Voltage (MV) substations of the Zmutt pumping station of Grande Dixence (alt.1972 m),... 19.06.2019

Analysis of underwater assets: the importance of historical data

Historic data provide the foundation for analysis of sediment behaviour in reservoir water. Our 3D reservoir mapping tools and... 13.03.2019

Swiss Federal Railways: servicing of the Eau Noire water intake

Swiss Federal Railways (CFF) asked us to service the Eau Noire water intake, an integral part of the Emosson complex. They gave us a... 13.03.2019

EDF: rehabilitation of the Francis groups

As part of the programme to maintain and optimise its hydropower plants, Électricité de France (EDF) entrusted us in 2017 with the rehabilitation of the... 07.12.2018

Electricité de la Lienne: replacement of the group electrical protections

Energie Sion-Région SA (ESR), which operates the hydropower facility at La Lienne, chose us to replace the old electrical... 07.12.2018

FMV entrusts us with the operation of its new hydropower facility

In 2018, FMV SA entrusted the operation and maintenance of its new Gletsch-Oberwald hydropower facility to HYDRO Exploitation.... 07.12.2018

Centrale de Bramois : une solution contrôle-commande et supervision sur mesure

La centrale hydroélectrique de Bramois, qui turbine les eaux du bassin de Vex, a été récemment réhabilitée sur... 27.08.2018

Le Laser Tracker, un outil au service de vos aménagements

Depuis 2011, nous travaillons avec le Laser Tracker, un outil d’une précision inégalée pour les dimensionnements d’objets... 27.08.2018

Centrale de Gondo, alternateur du groupe 3 : mesures des pertes par calorimétrie

Le nouvel alternateur du groupe 3 de la centrale de Gondo est refroidi à l’air en circuit fermé. L'air circule... 13.04.2018

Gebidem: une gestion des sédiments efficiente grâce à la technologie multifaisceaux

Situé au pied du glacier d’Aletsch, la retenue de Gebidem est soumise à de forts apports sédimentaires qui... 13.04.2018

Pont de la Tine : contrôle-commande compact pour petite hydraulique HYDROTECK

En aval des deux groupes de la centrale du Pont-de-la-Tine (près d’Aigle), un groupe turbine-alternateur a été mis... 13.04.2018

CFF Massaboden : contrôle-commande des parties hydrauliques

Le contrôle-commande des parties ainsi que les automatismes à relais des vannes de la centrale de Massaboden sont tombés en... 22.01.2018

Forces Motrices de l’Aboyeu : remplacement du régulateur de tension et de la synchronisation

Après plus de 25 ans de bons et loyaux services, le régulateur de tension du groupe de l’Aboyeu... 22.01.2018

Leteygeon SA : inspection de la conduite forcée

L’inspection de conduites forcées de petit diamètre est souvent un challenge notamment en raison des contraintes logistiques et sécuritaires.... 22.01.2018

Renouvellement de la centrale de Bramois

Après 100 ans de bons et loyaux services, la centrale de Bramois vient de subir une cure de jouvence. Nous avons rempli le mandat d’ingénieur principal... 22.01.2018