Half-time celebration at the Stegenwald power plant

The groundbreaking ceremony for the Salzach power plant in Stegenwald took place at the end of June 2023. It is an important building block in the energy transition and in future will generate as much clean electricity as 20,000 households consume on average per year. Yesterday, construction progress was celebrated with a small half-time party. Project operators VERBUND and Salzburg AG invited the mayors of the neighbouring communities and local residents to celebrate the smooth implementation of the project.

Work on the Stegenwald Salzach power plant is proceeding right on schedule. For example, a large part of the future reservoir and flood protection measures as well as the downstream section of the power plant have already been completed. The main concrete work at the power station itself will be completed in early summer, allowing delivery and assembly of the first of two machine sets to begin. The two machines have a combined output of 14.3 megawatts and will weigh around 265 tonnes once completed. All system components are supplied by Austrian manufacturers.

The power plant will generate domestic renewable electricity from hydropower for around 20,000 households from mid-2025. This will substitute 73 million kWh of fossil electricity and make an important contribution to achieving Austria’s and Salzburg’s climate targets.

One reason for the rapid construction progress is the good cooperation with landowners and neighbours. They were personally informed about the work yesterday at a small ceremony on the premises of the Salzburg Hunters’ Association. “The cooperation with the municipalities, landowners and neighbours was characterised by mutual appreciation and a high level of understanding from the very beginning. We would like to express our sincere thanks for this,” summarises project manager Hannes Badura. “The Stegenwald Salzach power plant is not only an important project for the success of the energy transition, but also shows how constructive cooperation between project operators and neighbouring communities can work for the benefit of all,” says Mayor Hubert Stock, confirming the functioning partnership.

Facts & Figures

• Construction period around 2 years
• Fall height 8.09 metres
• Capacity 14.3 MW
• Control energy capacity 73.8 GWh for approx, 20,000 households
• Investment 100 million euros