Court of Audit: Construction of 380 kV line is of vital importance

The low transport capacities of the high-voltage lines endanger security of supply in Styria, Carinthia and Salzburg. This is the conclusion reached by the Austrian Court of Audit in its Audit Report on security of supply in Austria which was published on 24 October.

The Court of Audit is convinced that the construction of the 380 kV line is therefore "one of the most urgent economic tasks to ensure a secure power supply in Austria." Security of supply is endangered by the low transport capacities of the transmission lines at the present time.

The Court of Audit refers to the necessity of constructing new power plants. The report states: "In the event that the power plant projects which have already been approved and submitted are implemented, the Court of Audit believes that the growth in electricity generation – also taking account of the intended closure of capacities – will more or less correspond with the 7.26 TWh increase in electricity consumption in Austria up to 2020 that is anticipated in the latest Wifo study."

The Court of Audit also calls for long-term, forward-looking projects: Today's negligence will only become evident in a few years when it will have an even more dramatic effect on security of supply.