{{ currentSearchSuggestions.title }}

{{ currentMenugamenu.label }}

{{ currentMenugamenu.desc }}

{{ currentMenugamenu.cta }}

{{ currentSubMenugamenu.label }}

{{ currentSubMenugamenu.desc }}

{{ currentSubMenugamenu.cta }}
{{ currentSubMenugamenu.secondaryCta.label }}

{{ currentSubMenugamenu.numbers.title }}

{{ number.value }} {{ number.label }}

Luigi Einaudi hydroelectric plant, Entracque, Italy

Entracque hydroelectric plant, Italy

Operational
{{item.label}}
{{ item.title }}
{{ item.content }}
The plant

Entracque hydroelectric plant

The Entracque power plant, which is named after former President of Italy Luigi Einaudi, is located in the municipality of Entracque in the province of Cuneo. It’s the largest hydroelectric plant in Italy, as well as one of the most powerful in Europe.

The plant consists of two dams, both of which offer breathtaking views of the Maritime Alps: the Chiotas Dam, at an altitude of nearly 2,000 meters, and the Piastra Dam, at 1,000 meters. There are also two reservoirs that together hold 42 million cubic meters of water. The flow rate of the Chiotas diversion tunnel is 128,000 liters per second: to put that in perspective, the flow rate of a standard household faucet is 0.2 liters per second.
The elevation difference between the power plant and the Chiotas dam is 1,000 meters – a hike of more than three hours.

The facility is a pumped storage plant where the turbine also works as a pump to move the water from one reservoir to another. The plant functions in the same way as a giant battery, storing energy as the water rises. and releasing it as it falls, thereby helping to stabilize the grid and enabling greater use of non-programmable renewable energy sources, like solar and wind power, to be used more extensively.
icon
A stylized drawing of a light bulb

Technology

Hydroelectric
icon
A stylized drawing of a worker wearing a safety helmet

Status

In operation
icon
A green icon with two circles, one inside the other, connected by a straight line

Operational capacity

1,200 MW
icon
A stylized green drawing of a computer with a graph on the screen

Energy production

430 GWh

Average production achieved in the last three representative years.
icon
A stylized drawing of a green leaf

CO2 emissions avoided

196,962 metric tons per year

 
icon
A green icon with a house

Energy needs met

About 160,000 households per year
{{item.label}}
{{ item.title }}
{{ item.content }}
Timeline

Milestones
{{item.dateLabel}} {{item.yearLabel}}

Impact on the community

In addition to providing electricity, the power plant’s reservoirs can also be useful for crops on the plains. Furthermore, in the event of extreme weather, the dams can protect the area by storing water during peak flow periods and then releasing it downstream once the weather has improved: this occurred in 2020, during Storm Alex, when one of the plant’s dams managed to retain water equivalent to one-third of its capacity in a single night.

Downstream of the dams is a cross-country ski trail, and the face of the Piastra dam is equipped for sport climbing. The plant is also open to visitors by reservation. The tour begins with a 3D model of the plant, which is displayed inside the Information Center. The Center also houses an exhibition hall dedicated to the plant, as well as temporary exhibitions related to the local area. The tour then continues aboard a small electric train that takes visitors underground where they can observe the plant and its machinery up close.

Construction work

More than 1.3 million cubic meters of earth and rock were excavated in order to build the plant, tunnels, shafts, and other structures, while 750,000 cubic meters of concrete were used in order to harness the power of the water (360,000 cubic meters were used for Chiotas alone).

Related content

{{article.category}}

{{article.title}}
{{article.category}}

{{article.title}}
{{article.category}}

{{article.title}}