Abbey plans project

Power plants in the Enns Valley: now even an appeal to Abbot

Abbot Gerhard Hafner has now received a letter from the opponents of the power plant.

(Bild: Krone KREATIV/Sepp Pail, Jürgen Radspieler)

New hydropower plants are planned on the Enns and in the Talbach - but opponents are still mobilizing. They have now even written a letter to the Abbot of Admont Abbey. This is because the abbey is involved in the projects.

The citizens' initiative "Wilde Wasser" is trying with all its might to prevent the planned damming of the Enns and the Talbach. The most recent prank: an online petition has been launched and 2446 signatures have already been collected (as of Thursday afternoon).

The reasons given for the commitment are as follows: "The Enns between Mandling and the Gesäuse, which still flows freely today, is not only one of the last freely passable stretches of river in Austria, but also a river landscape with ecologically and nature conservation-wise valuable habitats and therefore an important factor for quality of life and tourism."

A feasibility study is currently underway for six locations. As energy demand in the region is growing, something will have to be considered.

Urs Harnik (Energie Steiermark)

"Generally critical of new run-of-river power plants"
Steven Weiss, biodiversity researcher at the University of Graz, has also signed the petition. His reasoning: "With regard to the Renaturation Act, I see enormous potential in the region. In addition, you generally have to take a critical view of new run-of-river power plants on free-flowing river stretches, as the cost-benefit calculation is usually no longer correct."

Meanwhile, the Upper Styrian citizens' initiative also wrote a letter to the abbot and the economic director of Admont Abbey, which is acting as a project applicant together with Energie Steiermark.

Their appeal: to refrain from "massive interventions in nature". "We have both responded to the letters and are now awaiting the results of the feasibility study in order to then discuss the projects objectively," says Director of Economic Affairs Franz Pichler.