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Villages / Valais / Conthey district / Bieudron

Bieudron

Canton of Valais · District: Conthey · No published figure for the locality; the municipality of Nendaz has 7'352 inhabitants (31.12.2025, provisional FSO figure)
Part of the municipality of Nendaz
Origin of the name Founding Historical timeline Must-see historical sites Sources and references Nearby villages

Origin of the name Bieudron

Bieudron is one of the fifteen or so villages and hamlets of Nendaz. Its name has not yet been explained.[1]

Founding of Bieudron

Bieudron is one of the villages of the municipality of Nendaz, whose early past is not documented. The name is also that of an underground cavern power station, built for the Cleuson-Dixence scheme next to the Nendaz station of the Grande Dixence. It uses water stored by the Val des Dix dam, with a maximum gross head of 1'883 m.[1][2][3]

History of Bieudron

1992. A simple partnership is formed to build and operate the Cleuson-Dixence scheme, whose cost reaches 1.3 billion francs.[3]

1993-1998. The scheme is built entirely underground, including the Bieudron power station.[3]

1998. The power station is commissioned. It claims three world records: head, Pelton turbine output and generator output per pole.[2][3][4]

2000. On 12 December (the 13th according to another source) the penstock bursts over 9 m. Water gushes out of the mountain: a flow of mud and rock runs about 1'000 m down into the area of Condémines and Fey, sweeps away two chalets and farm buildings and reaches the Rhône. Three people are missing. Defective welds are later named as the cause of the rupture.[3][4][5][6][7]

2003. A company is set up to lead the studies and repairs.[3]

2005. Rehabilitation work begins. It lasts four and a half years, employs 600 people and costs 365 million francs.[3][7]

2010. The power station produces its first kilowatt-hours in January and has been fully operational again since 25 January.[3][7]

Historic sites in Bieudron

Bieudron power station. Cavern power station with three Pelton turbines of about 420 MW each, for a maximum output of 1'180 MW. Guided visits on working days by reservation.[2][3]

Sources

  1. Dictionnaire historique de la Suisse, « Nendaz » (Pierre Carruzzo), version du 02.11.2010
  2. Walther Howald, « Les alternateurs de la centrale hydraulique haute pression Bieudron », Revue ABB 2/1998
  3. Grande Dixence SA, « Cleuson-Dixence. À la découverte d'un aménagement hydroélectrique unique au monde », brochure technique, 2024
  4. International Water Power & Dam Construction, « Penstock rupture causes floods and landslip at Cleuson-Dixence », 19.12.2000
  5. swissinfo.ch, « Three feared dead after huge landslide hits Valais », 13.12.2000
  6. swissinfo.ch, « Rescuers give up hope of finding flood victims alive », 14.12.2000
  7. International Water Power & Dam Construction, « Grande Dixence: an engineering achievement », 10.08.2010
  8. Office fédéral de la statistique (OFS), STATPOP, chiffres provisoires au 31.12.2025, via citypopulation.de
  9. geo.admin.ch, recherche de lieux (Nendaz)

Other villages near Bieudron

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