Experts are on the alert: As energy is becoming a scarce commodity, there are fears of a supply bottleneck in the winter. The planned construction of a new high-voltage power line in the Ennstal in Styria is now also causing explosives.
Save the time, you’ll be in need. This applies more than ever to our energy consumption: “And not only for each individual small end customer, but also for industry and business,” emphasizes Urs Harnik of Energie Steiermark.
“Every kilowatt hour not consumed now is saved for the future.” A fact that probably few people are aware of.
Styria dependent on aid
The real drama of the situation first became apparent two months ago: Austria became an electricity importer earlier than ever. “Normally we are an import country only in winter, but not in August,” says Werner Prutsch, energy expert from the city of Graz. The main cause was the persistent drought.
Styria was in a particularly bad position because of the many river power stations: together with Lower Austria and Vienna, our state had to get most of its energy from the dominant electricity grid (see picture).
Fuel as a minor problem
However, no one can rule out the possibility that Styria will have to be out in the cold next winter: “There are now 85,000 district heating connections in and around Graz. I am less concerned about the fuels that are needed for this, such as gas or residual heat; rather the question is whether there is enough electricity to work,” says Prutsch. The declining degree of self-sufficiency would be exacerbated by the export ban of former partners such as the Czech Republic or Poland.
Initiative Exploded Info Event
APG (Austrian Power Grid) wants to do justice to the increasing power consumption by, among other things, renewing the Ennstal line. Because there is resistance to this, the mayor of Schladming invited Monday evening to an information evening.
Only: This had to be canceled at short notice. “For security reasons,” Hermann Trinker said of “Krone.” A citizen movement from Salzburg had made too much wind on social media for that. Trinker: “Due to the mobilization via Facebook, we had to take into account 150 extra visitors. That would have exceeded the capacities and as an organizer I am too insecure due to the increasing corona numbers.
Source: Krone
I am Ida Scott, a journalist and content author with a passion for uncovering the truth. I have been writing professionally for Today Times Live since 2020 and specialize in political news. My career began when I was just 17; I had already developed a knack for research and an eye for detail which made me stand out from my peers.
