Drought cuts Verbund hydropower output by more than a third

Austria is experiencing its driest period in 176 years of measurement, reducing hydropower generation by more than a third at Verbund and by 25 percent at KELAG, ORF reported. The companies say electricity supplies remain secure, with the shortfall covered by other sources, imports and stored hydropower.

Verbund spokesman Robert Zechner said the company’s ten run of river power plants on the Drau had generated well over a third less electricity than the long term average between January and August. He described 2026 as the weakest year in the company’s entire generation history.

“2026 began just as dry as the whole of 2025,” Zechner said. There was also very little snowmelt. During heatwaves and dry periods with low water levels, individual days and weeks produced less than half of the long term average.

Solar power can help compensate for the shortfall during the day. At night, large pumped storage plants can be used as green batteries. The Malta Reißeck power plant group, Austria’s most powerful pumped storage facility, can feed electricity equivalent to the output of six Danube power plants into the grid on demand, Zechner said.

KELAG’s electricity generation has so far been around 25 percent below planned levels because of the low water flow. The company is making up the deficit with other generation sources or imports.