Round table

Power plant plans: future of the Möll uncertain

Even experts do not dare to say whether water sports will still be possible in the Möll River after the power plant has been built.

(Bild: Land Kärnten)

Discussions about planned power plant construction: Kelag presents 200 million euro project to mayors. They demand that the appearance of the river remains the same. 

The concerns of tourism businesses and fishermen are great. As reported, they fear that the planned power plant will result in even less water flowing in the Möll than is already the case.

On Wednesday, representatives of Kelag met with the mayors of the municipalities of Stall, Flattach, Mallnitz, Obervellach, Reißeck and Mühldorf as well as with the Spittal fishing district association to discuss the current project status. The project is intended to put an end to fluctuating water levels.

These fluctuations are caused by the operation of the machine sets at the Außerfragant storage power plant and one set at the Gößnitz plant. "They are started and stopped several times a day to cover peak demand," explains Kelag spokesman Josef Stocker: "This leads to a very rapid and sharp rise and fall in the water level."

Alternatives are being discussed
The topics discussed included groundwater, drinking water and, above all, residual water in the Möll. "We will create several dynamic residual water discharge models with regard to the residual water and present the results to this group of people within two months," the Kelag spokesperson continued. Alternatives will also be discussed.

Appearance should remain the same!
One thing is important for the mayors: "That the appearance of our river remains the same." Now it's time to wait until the models are presented. "The discussion was very constructive. It remains to be seen whether it works for us," says Reißeck's mayor Stefan Schupfer. And Obervellach's mayor Arnold Klammer says: "We were promised that we would be kept informed on an ongoing basis and that we would also have a say in the decision-making process."

Talks are now underway in Mölltal with the tourism association and community representatives.