Hydroelectric power plants are a key resource for Italy: located throughout the Peninsula, they are able to transform the energy of water into electricity from renewable sources, contributing to the stability of the national power grid.

The CVA Group operates 33 hydroelectric plants of various types. The hydroelectric fleet has a total installed capacity of 938 MW and produces on average more than 2.9 billion kWh of clean, zero-emission energy each year.

Most hydroelectric production facilities are run-of-river plants. The turbines of the 19 run-of-river plants receive water through an elevation difference known as a “head” and convert it into electricity.

The 9 reservoir-based hydroelectric plants operate thanks to an upstream forebay reservoir and a downstream tailrace basin, connected by water conveyance channels through which the water is directed and then returned to the river after generating renewable electricity.

There are 5 storage plants, which use water collected in large reservoirs that form artificial lakes created through the construction of dams.

All these types of hydroelectric plants are widely distributed throughout the side valleys and the central area of the Aosta Valley.

In addition to making a valuable contribution to hydroelectric energy generation in Italy, for the local population these facilities are an integral part of the natural landscape and local resources, as they are part of the “mountain culture.” This open-air heritage bears witness to intense human activity within the economic history of the region during the 20th century.

Power plants and dams are a common good, a shared heritage of all the people of the Aosta Valley, and hold significant landscape and cultural value.

Anyone who wants to see how a hydroelectric power plant works with their own eyes can visit the CVA power plants and dams as part of a pleasant organised walk or bicycle ride: learn about the CVA “Energy Tours” and find out which of our power plants you can visit.

Find out more about our wind farms and photovoltaic plants too.