Low river levels force Carinthia’s small hydropower plants to shut down

Low water levels in Carinthia’s rivers and streams are reducing output from the province’s small hydropower plants, ORF reports. Some plants have already been shut down because of the shortage.

Carinthia has 385 small hydropower plants, which produce almost enough electricity each year to supply all households in the province. But 56 percent less water than the long-term average flowed through its rivers and streams in July, according to Christoph Aste of the Small Hydropower Austria association.

“We shut down for water protection reasons so that the required residual flow remains in the streams,” Aste said.

He said run-of-river plants would need storage systems to continue generating electricity during periods of extreme heat. These could take the form of balancing reservoirs or battery storage at the plants, allowing them to supply the grid at the right time.

More small lakes would also be needed to ensure that smaller streams carry enough water. According to Aste, upgrading a plant could cost up to three million euros, depending on the scale of the work.

Such investments would require incentives, he said, adding that policymakers and public authorities had a role to play. Without a broader energy mix combining solar, wind and hydropower, Carinthia could face repeated supply shortages during extreme heat, Aste warned.