Reutte power plant: Start of 40 million euro future project

The preparatory work for the modernization of the power plant in Reutte has been underway for some time. The major project officially started on Wednesday.

REUTTE. When it comes to the energy transition, Governor Anton Mattle completely in his element. He is personally extremely interested in the topic and his knowledge of energy production is considerable.
The invitation of the Reutte Power Plant He was therefore happy to attend the official start of the project to modernise the power plant in Reutte.

Governor is enthusiastic

He was very pleased with what he saw and heard here. “Less power station, more nature, more electricity, I like that,” said Mattle, referring to the fact that in the future there will be one less power station building, the water will no longer be carried over long distances in canals but in pressure pipes, and the amount of electricity generated will increase by a quarter. And it will be quieter too, the new power station, which is located right on the edge of town and is therefore particularly important for the security of supply in the valley basin.

A real showcase project

It is rare to find such an environmentally friendly power plant, says Mattle, who is involved in power plant projects across the country. He described Reutte as a “showpiece project. I can only congratulate!”

Energy transition must succeed

For Mattle, there is no question that the energy transition – known as “Strategy Tyrol 2050” – must succeed. He sees no alternative to this. However, the path to the energy transition is long and many measures will be needed to make it successful. Power plants like the one in Reutte are extremely important for Mattle to achieve the ambitious goals: “If we generate the energy we need ourselves, we are not dependent,” he reminded all doubters.

Major investment by EW Reutte

What is currently happening in the area of ​​the power plant in Reutte is remarkable. EWR board member Richard Alber estimated the total investment volume at 35 to 40 million euros. The planning and preparatory work took six years. A total of two years have been set aside for implementation. May 2026 is the planned date for commissioning.

Electricity for 4200 households

When the two new machine sets start up, they will generate enough electricity for 4,200 households. The annual amount of electricity generated is estimated at 15,000 MWh, and 12,850 tons of CO₂ can be saved in the future.
The water required to operate the turbines comes from Lech. The weir between Höfen and Ehenbichl will also be rebuilt on the Ehenbichl side as part of the project. A maximum of 50 percent of the water will be diverted for electricity generation, the rest will remain in the actual Lech bed.

Pressure pipes instead of canals

As before, the Lech water flows in a canal for the first few meters above ground. An intake structure for the two pressure pipes will be built where the first turbine house used to be. The massive pipes with a diameter of 2.6 and 2.8 meters will be covered. This will create a new local recreation area on the border of the Tränkesiedlung.
The fact that the pressure pipes are not led from the weir into Höfen is due to the fact that over the years a biotope has developed in the settling basin behind the weir. This is ecologically very valuable and must be preserved.

6600 full load hours per year

In the event of flooding, the supply line to the power plant is closed. The risk that the sediment could damage the highly efficient turbines is too great. Based on this and the necessary downtime for maintenance work, the number of full-load hours of the Reutte power plant is calculated at 6,600 per year, an excellent figure, as was emphasized during a press conference.

Better

Modernization has many positive effects

45,000 cubic metres of gravel fill the canal