Rafting impossible?

Guests in the Mölltal valley worried: power plant is a death blow

Rafting on the Möll: soon a picture from the past?

(Bild: zVg)

Kelag has to solve the hydropeaking problem by building a new power plant. The water surge from the Außerfragant and Gößnitz power plants will no longer be channelled into the Möll, but through a tunnel to the planned Kolbnitz power plant. That would be the end for white water sports.

"You can't be serious about letting just a tenth, i.e. around three cubic meters, of the usual summer water volume of more than 30 cubic meters flow through in seven years and diverting the rest to generate energy!" the Steindl couple are appalled.

Evelyn and Wolfgang Steindl have been regular guests at the Pristavec family campsite in Obervellach since 1990. They spend several weeks enjoying the Mölltal valley in summer. The reason for this: they love white water rafting, kayaking in the Möll. "That's why we discovered this vacation destination and why we've been coming here since 1990. But the planned power plant would be the end of kayaking and whitewater rafting between Gößnitzsee and Rottau! Kayaking and rafting are the main tourist attractions in the Mölltal, hiking and cycling are just an afterthought," the Lower Austrians are certain. "I myself was a municipal councillor in a community that was losing people. I know how difficult it is to maintain infrastructure and what a disaster it is when something breaks away again!"

The realization of this project would be the final blow to tourism in Mölltal. The Reißeckbahn was already closed years ago, and the Ankogelbahn and the Heiligenblut cable cars are shaking badly.

Das Ehepaar Steindl, wegen des Wildwassers Stammgäste im Mölltal

How the controversial planning came about
For two years, experts from Kelag examined variants to reduce the rapid changes in the water level of the Möll caused by the operation of the Außerfragant and Gößnitz power plants. This is because the machines start and stop several times a day to cover the fluctuating electricity demand. This leads to the so-called hydropeaking problem. However, according to the EU Water Directive, this must be resolved in order to improve the ecological status of the river.

"The justification that hydropeaking is bad for nature sounds almost ridiculous in view of the amount of residual water planned. The little water that remains will not help. The Möll will degenerate into a trickle!" say the regulars, who also fear that during floods the mud could wash away everything that is still alive.

"And what's it all for? So that the energy industry can put on the green cloak," the couple criticizes the power plant plans.

And they are by no means the only critics of the 200 million euro project: the Mölltal mayors are demanding that the appearance of the river remains the same.