Stegenwald power plant

Court lifts partial construction freeze again

Regional Administrative Court in Salzburg

(Bild: Grill Max/Kronenzeitung)

Construction work on the Stegenwald power plant in Pongau can resume. The Administrative Court revoked the nature conservation permit at the end of August. The project operators Verbund and Salzburg AG then partially suspended work and applied for the suspensive effect to be lifted.

The Administrative Court revoked the nature conservation permit at the end of August following an extraordinary appeal by the Provincial Environmental Ombudsman's Office (LUA). While the project operators cited formal reasons for the revocation, Provincial Environmental Lawyer Gishild Schaufler cited "blatant investigative deficiencies", which had been repeatedly pointed out to the project applicants, authorities and the court, as the reason. The number of animal species living in the vicinity of the construction site was not ascertained in order to determine the necessary scope of compensatory measures. "It is our job to point out such shortcomings in proceedings," said Schaufler.

"Some very serious disadvantages and dangers"
According to the energy producers, the partial construction freeze - which affected all construction measures that require a permit under nature conservation law - would entail "some very serious disadvantages and dangers" for safety and, in particular, for nature. In view of current precipitation and flood forecasts, the continuation of the nature conservation work was urgently required for ecological and safety reasons. For example, the high water levels in the Eckhartgraben in the vicinity of the ÖBB railway tracks and the B159 have already caused banks to break, which urgently need to be repaired for safety and ecological reasons.

95 percent of the necessary interventions completed
So far, 95 percent of the necessary interventions in nature have already been carried out, while only around 60 percent of the ecological compensation measures have been implemented. The nature conservation measures that are still pending would provide particularly positive compensation for nature and should therefore be implemented without further delay. "This involves the creation of gravel banks and islands, which are important habitats for birds (kingfishers, sandpipers) in the Salzach," the project operators state in the press release.

The provincial administrative court will decide on the actual nature conservation permit at a later date. Construction of the power plant began in June 2023. Once completed - the target is mid-2025 - it will generate 72.8 gigawatt hours of electricity per year, which corresponds to the average annual consumption of around 20,000 households. Verbund and Salzburg AG are investing around 100 million euros in the project, it was announced a year ago.