Big plans for Kaprun: The association is expanding the power plant group and investing approximately one billion euros in the coming years. With the new Schaufelberg pumped storage power plant, the site will be further expanded to become Austria’s green battery.
The new Schaufelberg pumped storage power plant with a capacity of 480 megawatts will be built completely underground. It is an important contribution to better absorbing the increasing energy peaks in the network, caused by the increasing share of renewable sources. “We are expanding the existing infrastructure and can therefore use the entire system even more efficiently,” says Tanja Janisch-Breuer, plant group manager in Kaprun.
A cavern is planned, which will be located approximately 900 meters underground near the middle station of the Maiskogel lift. A new, 8.5 kilometer long main racing tunnel is being built from the Limberg valve chamber to the Maiskogel. There will be water flowing for the main stage and the outbuilding.
The only point above ground: Immediately after the Tauern station in Kottingeinödne, a leveling basin with a capacity of up to 1.8 million cubic meters of water will be created. Three property owners in the municipality of Piesendorf are affected. The extra power is supplied directly to the high-voltage grid. “No new overhead lines are needed,” says project manager Thomas Etzer.
Compensation basin good for aquatic habitat
The basin, which is about 18 hectares in size, also offers living space benefits for the Kapruner Ache, because there will no longer be a huge flood of water in the future when the power plant is in operation. All excess water is currently flowing irregularly into the river. “The fish don’t like that either,” says ecologist Regina Petz. The Ache, which runs in a canal, should become a home to more fish, algae and other small creatures in the future. In the event of flooding, water from the Salzach can also be pumped into the basin in an emergency.
The reason for the expansion is, among other things, that the water usage rights in Kaprun expire in 2029 and now need to be renewed. “We are at the beginning of the official process,” says project manager Thomas Etzer. If all goes according to the planners’ wishes, the documents should be submitted by mid-2025. The new power plant could then be operational in 2030. The group will then supply a total of 1,860 megawatts of electricity.
Source: Krone
I’m Ben Stock, a journalist and author at Today Times Live. I specialize in economic news and have been working in the news industry for over five years. My experience spans from local journalism to international business reporting. In my career I’ve had the opportunity to interview some of the world’s leading economists and financial experts, giving me an insight into global trends that is unique among journalists.
