The project for a new dam on the Rhone is abandoned due to the construction of EPR2

The project for a new dam on the course of the Rhône has been abandoned, announced the Compagnie nationale du Rhône (CNR), in a press release issued on Friday, August 30. The project, called “Rhônergia”, was to be located between the departments of Ain and Isère, about forty kilometers upstream from Lyon. The idea was to build, by 2033, a 22-kilometer-long reservoir, between the municipalities of Loyettes (Ain) and Saint-Romain-de-Jalionas (Isère). The dam would have created a 6.8-meter-high waterfall, in order to produce a power of 140 gigawatt hours (GW/h) per year, which corresponds to the annual electricity consumption of 60,000 inhabitants.

The decision was taken by the State. According to the General Directorate for Energy and Climate (DGEC), the dam would have caused an interaction incompatible with the operation of new generation reactors, planned in the current Bugey nuclear power plant, in Ain.

Built in 1974, the plant is located a few kilometers upstream from the dam project, and its cooling system is linked to the river level. Preliminary studies have raised “technical risks on the Bugey EPR2 project, which could have led to an increase in costs and a delay in the schedule for this project, and potential issues on the safety of the operation of the existing nuclear power plant”indicated the DGEC, in a written statement sent to AFP.

90% negative reviews

Besides this “main reason” On a technical level, the State services highlight the opposition that has been expressed against “Rhônergia”. “The guarantors’ report on the prior consultation highlights objections to the dam project, particularly relating to environmental aspects,” writes the DGEC.

Supported by the CNR at the request of the State, the Rhônergia project, with a forecast budget of 330 million euros, was the last hydroelectric dam conceivable in France, in the last wild sector of the Rhône. According to its promoters, it could contribute to the country’s energy independence, by using a decarbonized production method. The CNR manages nineteen hydroelectric dams along the most powerful river in France. Its strategic arguments were not at all convincing locally. Strong opposition to the project emerged, denouncing a negative environmental impact far greater than the supposed energy benefits.

The preliminary consultation, conducted by the national commission for public debate, collected more than 90% negative opinions among the 1,300 people consulted, local residents, elected officials and economic players in the sector concerned. A citizens’ collective collected more than 8,500 signatures on its petition opposing the project, warning of the consequences for biodiversity with an ecosystem that is home to hundreds of protected species. Several slogans hostile to the project appeared on signs and roundabouts, signed by the Soulèvements de la Terre, which made the authorities fear an amplification of the protest. The Rhônergia project has become, over the months, a sensitive subject in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region, concentrating the criticism of environmental defenders.

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