05/21/2026, 11:00
| Security of supply
Sion – Forces Motrices de la Gougra SA is currently modernising the Vissoie power plant in the Val d’Anniviers. Launched in January 2024, the works aim to replace the three generating units to increase the plant’s production capacity and flexibility. The facilities will thus gain key advantages to meet the needs of the electricity system and facilitate the integration of intermittent renewable energy sources.
Commissioned in 1958, the Vissoie power plant, located in the Val d’Anniviers in central Valais, forms part of the Forces Motrices de la Gougra hydropower complex. It harnesses the water from the Moiry and Tourtemagne dams. Work began in January 2024 and will continue until Easter 2027. This will increase the plant’s generation capacity by 5 million kWh per year, equivalent to the consumption of over 1,000 households. The plant’s capacity will increase by more than 25%, rising from 45 to 58 MW, enabling it to respond even more flexibly to fluctuations in the electricity grid and thus meet energy needs even more effectively. Michael Plaschy, Chairman of Forces Motrices de la Gougra, said: “The modernisation of the Vissoie hydropower plant is part of a comprehensive investment programme. It will optimise the facilities so that they can meet electricity demand for decades to come, using local and renewable energy.”
The shareholders of Forces Motrices de la Gougra SA (Alpiq 54%, Rhonewerke 27.5%, the municipalities of Anniviers 7.71%, Sierre 7.5%, Chippis 1.79%, Chalais 0.5% and Oiken 1.0%) are investing around CHF 40 million to replace the power plant’s three generating units. The Swiss Federal Office of Energy (SFOE) is granting Forces Motrices de la Gougra an investment contribution of up to CHF 13 million as part of the support measures for large-scale hydropower plants provided for in the Energy Strategy 2050.
Optimising facilities for the energy needs of the future
This work forms part of a comprehensive optimisation scheme for Forces Motrices de la Gougra. Built in the late 1950s, the main facilities are being upgraded and will thus be able to continue reliably producing renewable, local energy for decades to come. In addition to the work carried out at Vissoie, the Navizence power plant, the lower stage of the facility, was fully refurbished in 2013, and the modernisation of the Mottec power plant was completed in 2025. These investments were made possible in particular by the agreement reached in 2022 between Forces Motrices de la Gougra SA and the concessions granting authorities on the intrinsic value of the facilities upon expiry of the concessions.
Aside from this modernisation work, project studies for the raising of the Moiry dam, which is one of the projects under the Confederation’s Round Table on Hydropower, are continuing actively. Furthermore, an application for authorization to build a new pressurised water intake tunnel, to replace the existing tunnel between Vissoie and Niouc, was submitted in March 2025.
Forces Motrices de la Gougra, the 5th hydropower facility in Valais
The Vissoie power station forms part of the Forces Motrices de la Gougra hydropower facility, located in the Val d'Anniviers. It harnesses water from the Moiry and Tourtemagne dams and utilises this renewable resource for regional and national electricity supply. The Gougra complex is the fifth-largest hydropower facility in Valais in terms of production. It generates an average of 640 GWh of renewable electricity per year, equivalent to the average annual consumption of over 140,000 households.
