Stage success for the Bavarian-Tyrolean interest group: In the so-called dispute proceedings regarding the hydropower project on the Leutascher Ache, this association has now received the award from the arbitrators from Innsbruck after thorough examination.
Mittenwald/Leutasch
– A preliminary decision appears to have been made regarding the hydropower project on the Leutasch Ache. In the so-called contradiction procedure, the state of Tyrol prefers the proposal of the Hydropower Plant-Leutasch-Mittenwald-GmbH. The competitor – a private investor from Leutasch – is said to have come away empty-handed.
At least that's what Wodan Candlemas reads from the most recent letter from Innsbruck. It is thanks to the head of the Garmisch-Partenkirchen municipal utilities that this cross-border project, which was buried in January 2020, was revived again. Since then, the GmbH, which includes the municipalities of Mittenwald and Leutasch as well as Karwendel, Energie & Wasser-GmbH (KEW), the Garmisch-Partenkirchen municipal utilities, the Farchant power plant and a group of private individuals, has been doing persuasion work in the neighboring country.
So now Candlemas and Co. have achieved an important stage victory, even if the state of Tyrol does not want to confirm it. “There is currently no legally binding decision in the official dispute proceedings regarding the mentioned hydropower project on the Leutascher Ache,” says Lea Knabl, from the public relations department. What she wants to say: The unsuccessful competitor from Austria can file a complaint, which the state administrative court has to decide on. Only then can “a serious statement” be made about who will be awarded the contract for the power plant project.
But despite Tyrolean reluctance, the final approval could now happen very quickly. Many details have already been clarified in the dispute proceedings, which lasted around three years. “There can’t be much more,” believes Candlemas – also in view of protests from the population. “Hydropower has a tradition in Mittenwald, so the headwind won’t be that big.” Nevertheless, those with concerns have already ventured out of cover in January 2022. If everything goes according to plan, the cross-border hydroelectric power plant could go into operation at the end of 2025. “The construction work itself is relatively quick,” explains Lichtmeß. According to him, it should be a “show project”, similar to the facility in Großweil – guided tours included. The municipal utility boss doesn't expect big returns either. “We don’t want to make a loss,” is his slogan. The project is not intended to “satisfy shareholders”.
Background information:
The planned hydroelectric power station uses the outflow of the Leutasher Ache over a length of around 1.75 kilometers and a terrain-related head of around 95 meters to generate electricity. The water catchment is located in the area of the road bridge (gorge bridge) at the gorge entrance, at the location of the existing abandoned water catchment of the former TIWAG power plant. The water reaches the power plant's pressure line, which is located in an accessible tunnel, via a fish and sediment-friendly Coanda rake and an adjoining pressure chamber. In the power house, which is located on the German side at the end of the pressure pipeline, the usable outflow (a maximum of 3.1 cubic meters per second) is processed using three turbines. The output is 2.43 megawatts and the annual working capacity (average annual electricity production) is around 11.7 million kilowatt hours (11.7 gigawatt hours). Of this, around 10.4 GWh is fed into Mittenwald and around 1.3 GWh into the Austrian power grid.
This means that 4,120 average households in Mittenwald and 560 in Leutasch can be supplied with locally produced, green electricity. According to calculations, savings of around 8,370 tonnes of CO2 equivalents can be achieved per year. According to municipal utilities, the following advantages are worth mentioning: The natural flow pattern of the Leutascher Ache is preserved through the dynamic release of residual water. This means: There are no unnatural flow fluctuations that negatively affect the flora and fauna. The continuous transport of sediment into the gorge is ensured by the design of the water intake. Since no traditional desander is used, the flushing processes are significantly reduced and shifted to flood events. The “fish descent” via the Coanda rake is possible without any problems. The entry of fish can be ruled out. The fish rise is already not possible in a completely natural way due to the existing waterfall. When the water is low in winter, the gorge is closed to tourists anyway.