Fuss about scarcity

Debate continues over hydrogen factory in Zurndorf

ÖVP party leader Markus Ulram, IG Wasser spokesman Werner Falb-Meixner and state parliament member Gerald Handig are against the hydrogen factory.(Bild: ÖVP)

The ÖVP fears water shortages due to the planned factory. However, the Federal Administrative Court dismissed the complaints as unfounded on Monday.

On Monday morning, the People's Party referred to a Greenpeace study, according to which 38 municipalities in the country - mainly in the north - could face an acute water shortage by 2050.

788 million liters of drinking water
All the more reason for the ÖVP to continue to campaign against the planned hydrogen factory in Zurndorf. According to club leader Markus Ulram, more than 788 million liters of drinking water are to be split into hydrogen and oxygen every year by the Northern Burgenland Water Supply Association (WLV): "That is 2.5 times the amount that all Burgenlanders need for drinking and cooking."

This valuable water must be protected. IG Wasser spokesperson Werner Falb-Meixner: "It would make more sense to build the factory near the Danube, where there is enough water."

Threshold values are not reached
On Monday afternoon, the Federal Administrative Court dismissed the complaints supported by the ÖVP Burgenland, which had been lodged months ago, as unfounded. An appeal was not permitted. The Administrative Court found that the threshold values for groundwater extraction were far from being reached.

"The ruling confirms that Burgenland Energie always plans renewable energy projects in harmony with the environment and the population on the road to energy independence in Burgenland," said CEO Stephan Sharma.