Since 1999, VERBUND has already made two major investments to modernise and increase the power plant’s efficiency. Between 1999 and 2001, the headrace channel was completely refurbished and the two Kaplan turbines upgraded. These turbines now generate an average annual volume of approx. 83 GWh. New generators were installed at the power plant in 2015.
| Owner | VERBUND Hydro Power GmbH |
|---|---|
| Operator | VERBUND Hydro Power GmbH |
| Commissioning | 1949 |
| Type | Run-of-river power plant |
| Country | Austria |
| Region | Styria |
| Waters | Mur |
| Output | 16 MW |
| Annual output | 82,747 MWh |
| Turbine | Kaplan |
| Connectivity | Fish bypass |
Since 2005, the Dionysen diversion power plant at the Mötschlach weir has been equipped with a fish bypass. The Mur is dammed at the Mötschlach weir near Niklasdorf, and the headwater is channelled to the Dionysen powerhouse via an upstream channel. A near-natural bypass channel at the Mötschlach weir overcomes a height difference of 8.9 metres over a length of approx. 850 metres and offers aquatic life the opportunity to get from the headwater to the tailwater and vice versa. The bypass channel consists of three building types: a pond pass, a near-natural stream and a basin pass.
In 2015, the residual water discharge at the discharge channel of the Dionysen power plant was increased further. The ecological functions of the waterway below the weir – such as
the year-round continuity for as many potentially occurring organisms as possible as well as the good ecological condition in terms of hydrology and morphology – were restored.
The run-of-river power plant consists of the Mötschlach weir, the headrace channel and the Dionysen powerhouse.
Turbines and generators:
The plant is equipped with two Kaplan turbines from 1949 (machine 1) and 1950 (machine 2), which have an output of 7,100 kW at a nominal flow rate of 55 m³/sec. Two directly coupled 8,000 kVA three-phase synchronous generators were installed. Both sets of machinery were rebuilt in 2000/01.
Transformers:
A 20,000 kVA machine transformer raises the energy generated from 6.3 kV to 110 kV, transmission is carried out by a loop in the 110 kV double-circuit line from Bruck/Mur to Hessenberg.
