THE MESE HYDROELECTRIC POWER GROUP Via Cappella Grande, 6 23020 Mese (Sondrio) Phone 0343/803011– Fax 0343/803027 Email: nucleo.mese@edipower.it

The Mesed hydroelectric power plant group includes eight power plants at Valchiavenna, in the province of Sondrio, and four power plants in the province of Como, with an installed capacity of 377 MW. All the plants of the Hydroelectric Power Plant Group are remote controlled from the Centralized Remote Control Station of Sesto San Giovanni in the province of Milan, however, when required, they can be also directly remote controlled from the Mese-basedpower plant  (SO).

The power plants at Valchiavenna, placed between north arm of Como lake and the Spluga pass, are located along the watercourses of Liro and Mera. The source of the Liro torrent is near the Spluga pass, from 3,000 mt high peaks. It flows about 25 km and ends in the Mera river near Chiavenna.  The source of the Mera river is in Switzerland , at a height of more than 2,800 mt above the sea level. It crosses the Italian border at Castesegna. The peculiar exposure and conformation of the two valleys of Liro and Mera, which the humid currents from the Como lake flow into, cause abundant rains.

The plants in the province of Como near the lakes of Como and Lugano are of small size except for the Gravedona plant. However, the abundant rains ensure good productions.

The yearly average production of the Mese Hydroelectric Power Plant Group is  1,162 GWh electric energy, which is equivalent to more than half the hydroelectric production of Edipower and about 5.6% of the total net production of Edipower.

Historical background

The first hydraulically-driven power generator in the province of Sondrio was designed and erected by Mr. Lorenzo Vanossi in 1883.

The Rescia plant, erected in 1901, is one of the first power plants constructed in that area.

The construction of the hydroelectric power plant group started, however, in the first decades of XX century and included the power plants of Mese and S. Bernardo. It had a boosting approach after the second world war, when the power plants of Prata, Chiavenna, Gordona, Isolato Spluga, Isolato Madesimo and Prestone, designed by the architect  Gio Ponti, started the commercial  operation.

Environmental protection

From the environmental point of view, the MeseHydroelectric Power Plant Group has voluntarily released for many years the “minimum vital downflow”, the minimum water flow-rate that is to be maintained in the various river beds in order not to damage the ecosystem life.

All activities that interact or may interact with the environment are managed in accordance with the ruling environmental standards and the available state-of-the-art techniques.

The management of the Mese Hydroelectric Power Plant Group has implemented an Environmental Management System that was certified in July 2006 according to the UNI EN ISO Standard 14001 and started the activities for future voluntary acceptance of the EU Ecomanagement and Audit Scheme (EMAS)