Rosenburg hydropower plant to undergo modernisation

Modernisation of the Rosenburg hydropower plant in the Horn district will begin in September, combining upgrades to the facility with measures intended to improve the ecological condition of the Kamp river, ORF reports.

Work on renewing the existing ford will begin in the coming days. Construction at the dam wall and the historic power station building is scheduled to follow in summer 2027, the Lower Austrian energy provider and operator EVN said. The plant is scheduled to resume operations in autumn 2028.

The project is based on a compromise reached with nature and environmental protection groups in the Kamp valley under the leadership of Lower Austrian environmental ombudsman Tom Hansmann. In 2024, EVN withdrew expansion plans submitted for an environmental impact assessment in 2017 because of the prospect of lengthy legal proceedings, opting instead to renovate the existing facility.

The power station building and its technical equipment will be renewed, while the dam wall will be repaired. New turbines and modern control technology will increase output from 0.9 to around 1.4 megawatts. Annual electricity generation is expected to rise from about four to five gigawatt hours, enough to supply around 1,500 households.

The project also includes extensive ecological measures. The volume of water flowing around the Umlaufberg will increase significantly, while the existing water level will remain unchanged. A planned deepening of the river downstream will not be carried out.

From mid-September, around 1,800 cubic metres of gravel carried downstream by recent floods will be transported upstream. The material will be placed below Wegscheid and in Altenburg and Stallegg to create spawning grounds in the upper Kamp.