Aerial view of a snow-covered glacier, Eternal Ice, Zmutt, Switzerland, landscape photography by Scanderbeg Sauer

Eternal Ice, Bieudron und Zmutt, Switzerland

Part of the ongoing Eternal Ice project, this work took us into the Grande Dixence system. It’s a network collecting meltwater from 35 Valaisian glaciers. The water is pumped to 2,400 m and channelled through mountain tunnels to Lac des Dix, retained by a 285 m gravity dam. Most of the infrastructure is underground: gravel traps, sand traps, and pumping stations bored into the rock. At Bieudron, we photographed the power station that holds three world records: head height, turbine output, and generator output per pole.

A longer look at the Eternal Ice project in the Journal.

Turquoise glacial lake in a snow-covered valley, Eternal Ice, Zmutt, Switzerland, landscape photography by Scanderbeg Sauer
Ice floes on a turquoise glacial lake, Eternal Ice, Zmutt, Switzerland, landscape photography by Scanderbeg Sauer
Turbine generator unit in the underground power station, Eternal Ice, Bieudron, Switzerland, hydropower photography by Scanderbeg Sauer
Pumping station in an underground gallery, Eternal Ice, Bieudron, Switzerland, hydropower photography by Scanderbeg Sauer
Back to portfolio