Lake for €22 million

Silz equalization basin new record in Europe

The 10-hectare hydropeaking basin calms the flow of water back into the Inn.(Bild: Tiwag)

In June, Tiwag commissioned Europe's largest basin, which ensures that the power plant water is "returned" at a constant rate. The ten-hectare lake cost 22 million euros.

What a farmer from Haiming describes as the destruction of the most valuable agricultural land is, objectively speaking, a record: the so-called hydropeaking basin next to the Silz power plant is the largest of its kind in the whole of Europe.

The mega-project is a compensatory measure for the expansion in Kühtai. For 40 years, the water processed in the Silz powerhouse was fed back into the Inn via a canal, and the resulting irregularities in the water level were not exactly beneficial for water ecology. In future, the water will first flow into the new giant basin and then be discharged into the Inn at a constant rate.

We have invested around 22 million euros in this measure, which is valuable from a water ecology perspective.

Tiwag-Vorstandsdirektor Alexander Speckle

Swimming prohibited
"The new basin enables us to compensate for the rapid changes in discharge," explains project manager Klaus Feistmantl. The construction time for the new structure was just under five years. "We invested around 22 million euros in this valuable measure from a water ecology perspective," adds Tiwag CEO Alexander Speckle.

The approximately ten-hectare lake on Stams municipal territory is fenced in and may not be "swum in". With a water temperature of less than ten degrees, there wouldn't be much of a desire to do so anyway. However, those seeking recreation can use the new paths around the basin and find out about how it works and its benefits for nature.

Scientific delegations are also increasingly studying Europe's largest basin.