A Green Light for the New Mur Power Plant of Gratkorn
The Province of Styria Approves Construction of the New Hydropower Plant on the Mur, North of Graz.
With the approval notice for the Mur power plant of Gratkorn, the province of Styria confirms that the joint venture project by VERBUND und Energie Steiermark is environmentally friendly. The hydropower plant will generate renewable electricity from hydropower for the region in the north of Graz, and be able to supply more than 13,000 households.
Styria is giving the green light for the development of renewable energy. With the official approval notice for the Mur power plant of Gratkorn, the course is set for the expansion of renewable electricity production for a further 13,000 households in the district of Graz and surrounding area. The planned hydropower plant in the municipality of Gratkorn is a joint project by VERBUND and Energie Steiermark and is being realised by VERBUND Hydro Power AG.
In an industrial centre directly next to the consumers, the Mur power plant of Gratkorn - with a capacity of up to 11 megawatts - will generate clean electricity without pollutants. With an annual production of more than 54 million kilowatt hours of electricity, the hydropower plant will annually save 44,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide compared with that of a power plant using fossil fuels. In addition to a broad scope of accompanying ecological measures, the Mur power plant of Gratkorn will also improve flood protection for neighbouring municipalities. A new, additional Mur bridge will enhance the recreational offer and cycle path network for cyclists, pedestrians and recreational athletes in the vicinity of the power plant.
Green energy: 40 VERBUND hydropower plants in Styria
VERBUND is the largest producer of electricity from renewable energy sources in Styria. VERBUND’s 41 Styrian hydropower plants cover the entire electricity requirement of all private households, whereby run-of-river power plants, such as Leoben or Graz-Weinzödl, continually produce renewable electricity, and reservoir power plants, such as Hieflau on the Enns or Arnstein at Voitsberg, cover the grid’s daily peak demands. Furthermore, VERBUND is continually investing in the modernisation of existing power plants; thus, the three turbines and generators are being renewed at the more than 80-year-old Mur power plant of Pernegg.
The two project partners are planning an investment volume of approx. 70 million Euro for the Mur power plant of Gratkorn. In the process, the high regional value creation represents a powerful stimulus for the Styrian economy and industry.
Construction to start in autumn 2013, as the earliest
Depending upon the course of further proceedings in accordance with the EIA Act, construction on the Mur power plant of Gratkorn is scheduled to start from autumn 2013; commissioning would be feasible in 2016.
