Status of the power plants in Kaprun

• Kaprun 2029 project: Successful breakthrough at new pressure tunnel
• Schaufelberg project: Completion of submission documents – submission by the end of 2026
• Limberg III: Repair work on schedule
• Limberg I: Delivery of the new transformer in Q1/2027

Kaprun 2029 project: Successful breakthrough at pressure tunnel – important milestone achieved

VERBUND is celebrating a significant milestone in the Kaprun 2029 project. On 29 April 2026, the breakthrough was achieved at the new pressure tunnel for the Kaprun-Hauptstufe power plant. After 14 months of high-precision work under occasionally complex geological conditions, two tunnel drives met exactly at the same point – the 5.6-kilometre section driven by a tunnel boring machine and the Maiskogel section created using blasting techniques. This resulted in a continuous tunnel system measuring around 7.2 kilometres in length between the Maiskogel and Limberg construction areas. The new headrace channel is the centrepiece of the project and will be nine kilometres long when completed in 2028.

At the breakthrough ceremony, VERBUND Hydropower managing directors Karl Heinz Gruber and Michael Amerer were joined by mayor Bernhard Auernigg (Piesendorf), tunnel patron Kathrin Aberger-Dick and many local residents.

Karl Heinz Gruber was impressed with the progress of construction: “Today’s breakthrough is another important milestone for the Kaprun 2029 project. It impressively demonstrates how precision and teamwork can lead to success, even in challenging conditions.”

After the breakthrough, work is set to continue in both construction areas. In the Maiskogel construction area, the lower surge chamber will now be expanded and a 1.2-kilometre-long inclined tunnel will be built. In the construction area in Limberg, the tunnel boring machine has already been completely dismantled and the tunnel’s inner shell is being concreted. Expansion work on the 9-kilometre-long pressure tunnel is scheduled to be completed in 2027, with initial operation planned for 2028.

As part of the Kaprun 2029 project, VERBUND is comprehensively renewing all plant components of the Kaprun power plant group. The background to this is the renewal of water utilisation rights in 2029, for which the current state of the art must be demonstrated for all plant components. At the heart of the refurbishment is the pressure tunnel of the Hauptstufe power plant, which was built in the 1940s and 1950s. It is being completely rebuilt. VERBUND is investing around 370 million EUR in the project to ensure it is a sustainable producer of hydroelectricity for the coming decades. The project makes a material contribution to supply security and to achieving Austria’s climate targets.

The PHES Schaufelberg project planned as part of the re-issuance is being fleshed out in greater detail. Technical planning is progressing, and documents for 17 specialist areas of the environmental impact assessment are also being prepared. Submission is still scheduled by the end of 2026.

Status of Kaprun-Oberstufe (Limberg I)

Following the damage to the transformer in the Kaprun-Oberstufe power plant (Limberg I) in November 2025, repairs are proceeding according to plan. The damaged transformer was completely dismantled by the manufacturer under the supervision of VERBUND and external experts, analysed and then scrapped professionally. The damage analysis and error simulation are in the final phase, with the result expected in summer 2026. A comprehensive evaluation in the area around the transformer showed that there was no damage to other components.

The new transformer has been ordered. The scheduled restart of the Oberstufe power plant is planned for the end of Q1/2027.

Three temporary backup transformers were also used to restore the power plant’s own electricity supply. VERBUND is actively using the downtime to carry out early inspection work and thus optimise plant availability after recommissioning.