The Val Beneyte power station

Val Beneyte, the blessed valley, owes its name to a modest hermitage built on the banks of the Dordogne. The site, which was once a destination for excursions, was swallowed up in 1935 by the waters of the Marèges dam.The village of Val Beneyte was built for the employees during the construction of the power plant. The power station is fed by a 2.6 km-long groundwater intake that starts at the Chaumettes dam and is extended by four penstocks that descend to the power station. The huge basin is an expansion basin that allows water to be stored in case of flooding. In the middle, the expansion chamber regulates the flow of water to the pipes.