Centrale hydroélectrique, centrale hydroélectrique et barrage dits barrage de Génissiat

The Génissiat hydroelectric dam, located 50 km downstream from Geneva in the Haut-Rhône gorges, was the first project undertaken by the Compagnie nationale du Rhône, entering operation in 1948. As the first of the major French dams, it is notably the only medium-head powerhouse constructed on the Rhône River. The project took shape after a lengthy political process, with the potential of the Rhône River identified as early as 1795 and initial studies beginning in 1902. It was only after the passing of the "law on the development of the Rhône" by the Chamber of Deputies in 1921 that serious plans for the Haut-Rhône were considered.