VERBUND requests immediate execution order for rapid start of the Riedl energy storage project

On 2 June 2026, VERBUND’s subsidiary Donaukraftwerk Jochenstein AG applied to the Passau District Council for an order that the planning approval decision for the Riedl energy storage plant be executed immediately. This step allows for project implementation in parallel with ongoing legal actions and prevents delays of several years on this important infrastructure project for a sustainable and independent energy future.

As a European project of common interest", the Riedl energy storage plant is an important building block for the energy future in Bavaria and Austria. With a storage capacity of 3.5 gigawatt hours and an output of more than 300 megawatts, the pumped storage power plant will play an indispensable role in integrating volatile renewable energies by stabilising the power grid.

"The Riedl energy storage plant is a key project for the energy transition in Bavaria and Austria", explains Michael Strugl, CEO of VERBUND AG – owner of project sponsor Donaukraftwerk Jochenstein AG (DKJ). "The project has been thoroughly tested for 15 years and fulfils all environmental, technical and economic requirements." The planning approval decision takes into account the opinions of the various technical authorities and contains extensive protective measures for people and the natural world. We firmly believe that it will withstand judicial review. The immediate execution request is a clear commitment to this infrastructure project, which is important for energy resilience. Timely implementation – even during the judicial proceedings – is in the interest of the independent energy supply while at the same time safeguarding all legal proceedings."

Time saving of at least three years: Immediate execution order will ensure sufficient storage capacity in time for the energy transition

The planning approval decision is currently the subject of three appeals to the Bavarian Higher Administrative Court. These generally have suspensory effect, with the result that the planning approval decision is not enforceable. Without the requested order for immediate execution, the project would be delayed for several years: the initial operation of the Riedl energy storage plant could only take place in the middle of the next decade.

"What we gain is time — three to five decisive years that we urgently need in light of the rapid expansion of renewable energies like wind and sun. With the immediate execution ordered by the authorities, we can provide the necessary storage and flexibility capacities that are critical to the energy transition earlier," explains Strugl.

Standard approach for major projects

Due to particular public interest, the immediate execution system is a common and legally established tool in Germany for large energy and infrastructure projects. It allows work to begin during the judicial review. In doing so, plaintiff’s rights are fully respected.

The overwhelming public interest in the Riedl energy storage plant is evident based on the German Energy Management Act (EnWG) and the PCI status granted to the plant by the European Union. As soon as the immediate execution has been granted by the Passau District Council, construction work will begin on the Riedl energy storage plant.

The Riedl energy storage project – an important contribution to the energy transition

The Riedl energy storage plant is a highly flexible pumped storage power plant with an output of more than 300 MW. The efficiency of the technology, which has been tested over the long term, is around 80%. In the event of excess electricity from wind power and photovoltaics, this electricity is used to pump water from the reservoir of the Donaukraftwerk Jochenstein plant into an upper basin located around 330 metres higher and to temporarily store it there. When demand is high or the grid is congested, water from the reservoir is fed in seconds to the two underground generator sets, which produce electricity that is fed into the grid. The water then enters the Danube again. The project does not touch the ecologically valuable slopes of the Danube, because the structures are located deep below them.

Key data on the Riedl energy storage plant

• Generator output: 2 x 150 megawatts
• Reservoir volume: 4.2 million m³
• Upper basin water area: 24 ha
• Average drop height: 331.5 m
• Average Danube outflow: 1,420 m³/s
• Turbine operation flow: 114 m³/s
• Pump operation flow: 85 m³/s
• The lower basins are the Jochenstein and Aschach dams
• Power station site: Municipality of Untergriesbach/district of Jochenstein
• Reservoir site: Untergriesbach municipality/Gottsdorf district

About VERBUND in Bavaria

VERBUND has been operating hydropower plants in Bavaria through Donaukraftwerk Jochenstein and Österreichisch-Bayerische Kraftwerke AG since 1952 and through Bavarian power plants since 2009. 

VERBUND currently operates 22 run-of-river power plants with an output of around 1,040 MW in Bavaria and on the Austrian/Bavarian border, and generates green electricity from hydropower for 1.8 million households. The “Riedl energy storage” pumped storage project will increase VERBUND’s investment volume in Bavarian hydropower to around 1.7 billion euros by 2030.