📋 Tender Overview
Brand VLK - Regarding the submission of the Lunerseewerk II for the environmental impact assessment, State Governor Markus Wallner emphasized today July 28 the importance of the project for the energy future of Vorarlberg and Austria. At the same time, he called for a national power plant strategy to ensure long-term security of supply.
The Lunerseewerk II is a central contribution to the stability of the European energy system, explained the state governor during an on-site inspection at Lunersee. The most modern and largest pumped hydroelectric power plant in Austria is being built here. At the same time, Wallner demands: We have to think beyond individual projects. Austria urgently needs a national power plant strategy that synchronously plans and implements the expansion of generation, networks, storage and controllable capacities. This is the only way we can reconcile security of supply, affordable energy prices and climate protection. The Lunerseewerk II, which will be submitted for environmental impact assessment this week, is one of the largest energy and infrastructure projects in Vorarlberg. With an output of 1,100 megawatts in turbine operation and a storage capacity of around 240 gigawatt hours, the pumped storage power plant will make a decisive contribution to the flexibility and stability of an energy system that is increasingly characterized by fluctuating renewable generation. The project volume is around 2.65 billion. Commissioning is planned for 2036. The energy landscape is changing fundamentally. The need for sustainably generated electrical energy is increasing rapidly. With the expansion of wind power and photovoltaics, the need for large storage systems that can flexibly absorb energy and make it available again within a very short time is also growing, explained Gerd Wegener, board member of illwerke vkw. The Lunerseewerk II is a tailor-made answer to these requirements and a showcase project for the energy future. The power plant will be built largely underground and uses the existing infrastructure as well as the exceptional head of around 1,300 meters. Governor Wallner also emphasized the economic importance of the project: An investment project of this magnitude creates added value, orders and employment over many years. The business location, regional companies and the population benefit from this. Finally, Wallner underlined the need for a fact-based assessment of future energy consumption and a practical strategy for Austrias electricity system: Energy policy needs an honest cash grab. Conflicts between security of supply, affordability, climate protection and location policy must be openly identified and politically prioritized. Projects like the Lunerseewerk II show what is possible when planning and implementation take place synchronously.
