La Bâthie upgrading project: practical aspects of implementation

After Europe’s ‘Golden Age’ of hydro development during the second half of the 20th century, the industry embarked on the next stage, and major refurbishment programmes began to emerge around the world. The upgrading project at La Bâthie followed this international trend, in accordance with, and benefiting from, the so-called French POPE law (Programme fixant les Orientations de la Politique Energétique or Programme establishing the direction of energy policy), allowing for a 20 per cent increase in installed capacity, without modification to the concession decrees. As well as increasing capacity, these renovations provide excellent opportunities for optimization of performance, thanks to advances in the fields of hydrodynamics and electrical machinery. This paper outlines the uprating scheme at La Bâthie, which provided an increase in installed capacity from 550 to 600 MW. Practical aspects of implementing this large-scale scheme are discussed.