Exposure on hydropower in the Gressoney Valley.

An excellence in the history of Italian hydropower, the Lys Valley area has always been at the center of our region's energy development policy. Its “stepped” conformation has made it perfect for optimal use of the water resource. Since the late 1800s, industrial development has helped transform the face of this valley by integrating diverse communities while respecting a unique environment.

The Gressoney hydroelectric power plant is a reservoir plant capable of producing hydroelectric power and is located in the municipality of Gressoney-La-Trinité, at the beginning of the valley of the Lys stream, a name derived from the high peaks of the Monte Rosa massif: Lyskamm Occidentale (4,481 m asl) and Lyskamm Orientale (4,527 m asl), which feed it.

The Gressoney plant was built at the same time as the Gabiet dam in 1921.

Modernized in 2012, it has always ensured the security of continuity of power supply to utilities, even in the event of a power grid blackout.

In late 2014, work began on replacing the penstock (built in 1918) with a new one that was laid on an alternative route to the existing one. The work was completed in 2017.

In summer 2024, the butterfly valves that manage the water from the Gabiet dam to the Gressoney power plant will be replaced. This extraordinary intervention is functional for the continuity of safe operation of the plant, and to implement it it is necessary to empty the Gabiet reservoir, rediscovering the small natural lake that appeared more than 100 years ago before the eyes of the pioneers of Italian hydropower.

Water, the source of Alpine life and economy, is something extraordinary.

A protagonist of the landscape in its forms and consistencies, it is a precious resource both environmentally and socially. The consequences of climate change that are already profoundly impacting its availability will have increasingly pronounced effects precisely in Alpine regions. Rediscover its value to learn how to care for it. With this in mind, extraEAUrdinaire was born, a project that is not intended to be simply an exhibition on water, but a well-rounded narrative through which to enhance our most precious resource.

Realized by CVA - Compagnia Valdostana delle Acque - extraEAUrdinaire is set up inside the hydroelectric power plant of Gressoney-La-Trinité, to make the experience even more authentic, giving its visitors, the chance to see its interior spaces as never seen before. Free admission.

This summer, in addition to the extraEAUrdinaire exhibition, CVA is opening the doors of the Gressoney-La-Trinité hydroelectric power plant for guided tours to discover how water becomes energy.

Visits are subject to reservation through an ever-changing calendar of dates.

Visit the dedicated page for more information: https://www.cvaspa.it/visite-impianti

Compagnia Valdostana delle Acque -, based in Valle d'Aosta and with facilities throughout Italy, was founded in 2001. It is the only Italian integrated operator on the entire pure green energy chain and also operates in the energy efficiency sector. The current plant park consists of 934 MW of power from hydroelectric plants, 54 MW from photovoltaic plants and 157.5 MW from wind power plants. A protagonist of the energy transition, the Group plans a strategic investment plan to 2027 that will lead to an increase of 804 MW of new photovoltaic and wind power plants, for an additional production of 1,440 GWh of renewable energy. The CVA - Compagnia Valdostana delle Acque - Group, based in Valle d'Aosta and with plants throughout Italy, was founded in 2001. It is the only Italian integrated operator on the entire pure green energy chain and also operates in the energy efficiency sector. The current plant park consists of 934 MW of power from hydroelectric plants, 56 MW from photovoltaic plants and 157.5 MW from wind power plants. A protagonist of the energy transition, the Group plans a strategic investment plan to 2027 that will result in 804 MW of new photovoltaic and wind power plants, for an additional production of 1,440 GWh of renewable energy.