Greens reject Rondo plant as industry attacks their stance

The Vorarlberg Greens have rejected Rondo Ganahl’s proposed waste-fuel power plant in Frastanz, while the Federation of Austrian Industries accused them of contradicting their own climate demands, ORF reported.

The dispute unfolded as a public hearing began on Tuesday at the Ramschwagsaal hall in Nenzing as part of the project’s environmental impact assessment. The hearing may continue on Wednesday. Between 400 and 500 people demonstrated against the project outside the hall on Monday evening.

Greens parliamentary group leader Daniel Zadra said the party welcomed Rondo’s plan to phase out fossil fuels, as the company is the state’s largest gas consumer. However, he said the project in its current form did not serve the interests of local residents, with the location being a particular point of contention.

Zadra called for public authorities to play a leading role in projects of this scale. He proposed a consortium involving municipalities, the state, energy company illwerke vkw and businesses to develop a different project combining the use of waste heat with renewable energy to supply heating in the Walgau.

Elmar Hartmann, president of the Federation of Austrian Industries, criticised the Greens’ position. “You cannot demand an exit from fossil fuels while rejecting one of the state’s largest decarbonisation projects,” he said.

Hartmann said the Greens were calling at national level for climate neutrality by 2040 while opposing a specific project in Vorarlberg. Environmental, health and traffic impacts had to be assessed through the environmental impact procedure, he said, but decisions should be based on expert reports and legal limits rather than the volume of the political dispute.

He also criticised the consortium proposal, saying it left unanswered who would invest, make decisions and assume responsibility. In his view, it would lead to new negotiations, structures and delays.

Rondo Ganahl plans to invest around 110 million euros in the project. It is intended to generate 160 gigawatt-hours of heat and 60 gigawatt-hours of electricity. Under normal operations, the plant would burn 82,000 tonnes of fuel, including around 12,000 tonnes from Rondo’s own production. The environmental impact assessment notice sets an upper limit of 122,000 tonnes per year.

Frastanz’s municipal council unanimously opposed the project, and 194 submissions were filed during the procedure. The Vorarlberg state government will decide on approval as the environmental impact assessment authority. Its decision can then be challenged before the Federal Administrative Court.