Koralpe wind farm to begin operating after 14-year wait

A wind farm on the Koralpe is due to start operating by the end of the year, after its operators waited more than 14 years for approval, ORF reported. Its eight turbines are expected to generate enough electricity for about 20,000 households a year, or to power 40,000 electric cars for a year.

The turbines stand 90 to 100 metres tall, with blades measuring 69 metres. Operator Franz Dorner said the project had grown from an original plan for six two-megawatt turbines to eight turbines with a capacity of more than 4.2 megawatts. The farm is expected to feed nearly 35 megawatts of electricity into the grid each year.

The project cost 50 million euros. Dorner partnered with Püspök, an operator based in Burgenland that ORF describes as Austria’s largest private wind farm operator.

Transporting the turbine blades to the site, at an elevation of 1,600 metres, required careful planning. Crews raised the blades on tight bends to use the existing road and forestry track network.

An 18-kilometre power line was also built underground to the valley, alongside high-speed internet connections for nearby villages and farms. Kelag subsidiary Kärnten-Netz is also moving its line to the Weinebene ski area underground, allowing 200 power poles to be removed. Dorner said the work would improve security of supply.

The project met 100 environmental requirements. Dorner said specialists commissioned by the state government monitored compliance on site. He described it as the first wind farm approved through an environmental impact assessment process.