Author(s): Aurelien Gudot; Emilio Corrales Lalinde; Theo Barthout

Linked Author(s): Emilio Corrales Lalinde

Keywords: No keywords

Abstract: In 1934, Compagnie Nationale du Rhone (CNR) was given by the French Government the concession of the Rhone River from the Switzerland border to the Mediterranean Sea. It was assigned to develop and operate this asset, based on 3 major missions: hydropower generation, navigation and irrigation. This development has led CNR to design, build and operate a cascade of 1 dam and 17 run-of-river systems, with a total installed capacity of 3107 MW and an average yearly energy production around 15.1 TWh. CNR obligations include hydraulic safety, environmental flows, hydropower production, navigation, and irrigation (including seawater intrusion monitoring). To fulfil its obligations, CNR operates a multidisciplinary network made of permanent automated measurement points and specific event-based operations. Permanent monitoring includes: (i) hydrological gauging stations distributed all along the Rhone River and its tributaries, (ii) calculated flows through dams and plants, (iii) routine sediment monitoring, and (iv) water quality measurements (specially salinity in the Delta).

DOI: https://doi.org/10.64697/iahr.proc.ise2026.abs.167

Year: 2026