Wallsee-Mitterkirchen Run-of-River Plant

VERBUND's Wallsee-Mitterkirchen power plant is a run-of-river plant situated on the Danube between the towns of Mitterkirchen in Upper Austria and Wallsee in Lower Austria.

295,868 households

supplies the Wallsee-Mitterkirchen power plant

988,328 avoided
tonnes of CO₂*

Generator replacement in progress, completion by 2024 (German only)

In this agricultural region of the Mostviertel and Mühlviertel, the power plant is not only an important supplier of electricity generated entirely from hydropower but also offers cars, pedestrians and cyclists an important crossing over the Danube.

The power plant impresses with its output of 210 MW. This capacity is currently being further improved by VERBUND through investments in increasing efficiency. Until 2024, one generator will be replaced every year, which is expected to increase generation by 12 million kilowatt hours through increased efficiency.

Owner	VERBUND Hydro Power GmbH
Operator	VERBUND Hydro Power GmbH
Commissioning	1968
Type	Run-of-river power plant
Country	Austria
Region	Upper Austria
Waters	Danube
Output	210 MW
Annual output	1,342,260 MWh
Turbine	Kaplan
Connectivity	Fish bypass

The Wallsee-Mitterkirchen power plant was built between 1965 and 1968 in a large trench next to the original bed of the Danube. The “dry construction method” used in the construction of this power plant became the model for the rapid and economical expansion of hydropower on Austria’s rivers. The power plant is equipped with a fish bypass.

Responsible treatment of the environment

Powerhouse:

The powerhouse has six main sets of machinery dating to 1968, each consisting of a Kaplan turbine with vertical shaft and a three-phase synchronous generator with a shielded design. The generators have a nominal power of 42,500 and 44,000 kVA, respectively.
Weir system: The fields of the weir system are equipped with double hook gates.

Locks:

The lock gates at the upstream end were designed as a guillotine gate with double hook contactor, the lock gates at the downstream end as bolt gates with a back wall made of sheet metal.

Hydro consulting from VERBUND

The Danube – the river to the power plant

Brochure: The hydropower plants on the Danube

pdf 2.8 MB

Environmental certifications

Information on the Francis turbine