The decision to construct the seventh Austrian Danube power plant to the south of Abwinden near Linz was taken on 4 July 1975 by Österreichische Donaukraftwerke AG (DoKW). The plant was planned at an avulsion on the southern bank, making it possible to avoid a laborious relocation of construction pits and pumping-out procedures. Prior to the development of the construction site it was necessary to undertake the transferral of plots of land and the felling of floodplain forest.
Construction began on 1 March 1976, although approval in accordance with water law was only granted three days later. The work was carried out in a single, 91-hectare construction pit beside the river and it was necessary to erect a 4.8 km enclosure around the construction pit on account of its location in the damp floodplain area. Following the excavation operations, May 1976 signalled the start of concreting, incorporating a total area of 1.2 million m³. On account of the sealing off of the Danube, which took place on 11 October 1978, the entire water volume of the river was now only routed through weir fields and the lock system, which had already been completed one week earlier at this point in time and was fully operational.
On 4 February 1979 the first hydroelectric generating set was commissioned (unit 9); the reservoir was filled to capacity on 24 June. The construction work was completed with the commissioning of the final hydroelectric generating set (unit 4) on 20 November 1979.
The positioning of the Danube power plant directly below the provincial capital of Linz, with its expansive harbour and factory sites, called for a multitude of water retention measures in this area. Dam filling on the south bank of the Danube, especially along the Traun estuary, which was partially dammed up, as well as 80 pumps and several well systems ensure the evacuation of groundwater and residual water from the sites of Chemie Linz, as well as from the VÖEST works. These retaining measures represented the most comprehensive to have been carried out at a river power station in Austria at that point.
In connection with the construction, a plant residential complex with 15 housing units was erected in St. Georgen an der Gusen. Some of the apartments were sold off from the mid 1990’s. One housing unit is still reserved for plant personnel on stand-by duty.