Nature review delays Vorarlberg power line replacement

Plans to replace the Herbertinger power line in Vorarlberg have been delayed after a conservation assessment raised concerns about the work, ORF Vorarlberg reported. The hearing scheduled for November 3 and 4 has been postponed.

The line carries electricity produced by illwerke vkw through 21 municipalities, from Bürs to Hohenweiler. Its 259 pylons, some of them around 100 years old, are due to be dismantled and rebuilt with new foundations in the same locations. The project is expected to cost about 400 million euros.

Authorities had assessed that the planned replacement would not require an environmental impact assessment. But a conservation expert’s report, commissioned by the Bregenz district authority, identifies risks including soil compaction, damage to vegetation and waterways, and changes to water levels. Some habitats might recover only slowly or not at all, the report says, according to the Vorarlberger Nachrichten.

The concerns are particularly significant at two pylon locations in the Gsieg-Obere Mähder nature reserve in Lustenau’s Ried. The reserve is also part of the Natura 2000 network. The work could affect purple moor-grass meadows and base-rich small sedge fens, both protected habitat types across Europe.

Vorarlberg Governor Markus Wallner of the Austrian People’s Party said the line was a “lifeline” for the state’s energy sector and was needed to supply electricity to Germany. He said the project was important for the energy transition and climate protection, and that objections must be examined in line with legal and administrative requirements.

Wallner said the line would remain on the same route, from Bürs to Hohenweiler. He argued that conservation and climate protection should not be seen as conflicting interests in this case.