Leaving Aiguillon and navigating on the Lot, we arrive in Fumel in front of a hydroelectric dam. This one was built on a lock. This characteristic V-shaped dam completely blocks the navigation.
A travel lift to cross a dam
To restore the passage of boats, the Department, which manages navigation on the Lot, estimated that the creation of a new lock would cost about 8 million euros. In comparison, the chosen solution costs "only" 4.5 million euros. This solution consists of purchasing a ferry, a travel elevator type boat elevator, creating a rolling road of about 150 m and building locks at both ends to take out and launch the boats.
At the beginning of April 2023, the boat elevator of the Italian brand Boat Lift has been assembled. However, the rest of the work has not yet begun. The commissioning is planned for the summer season of 2024. This device is capable of lifting boats up to 50 tons. It has been sized to offer a solution to all boats navigating on the Lot. The passage time to lift a boat and transfer it to the other side of the canal should be about 15 minutes, the same time as for a lockage.
Up to 150 km navigable
The operation of the vessel is not yet defined. It could be entrusted to a boat rental company, which could also operate a building on land to create a base and do maintenance.
The crossing of the Fumel dam will provide more than 150 km of navigable waterway on the Lot. This will end at the foot of the Luzech dam, now that the Saint-Vite lock has been put back into service in 2021.
