After 2.5 years of construction
Gratkorn Mur power plant: The turbines are turning
The new Mur power plant in Gratkorn was officially opened on Friday by Energie Steiermark, Verbund and politicians. It now produces electricity for 15,000 households in the greater area. The public is invited to an open day on Saturday between 10 am and 4 pm.
It is a colossus of concrete, steel and the latest technology that will now supply 15,000 households in the north of Graz with electricity: the Mur power plant in Gratkorn. On Friday, eight men came together with the project partners Energie Steiermark, Verbund and the province's top politicians to officially start the turbines turning by pressing white and green buttons.
The moment was preceded by a long story: the decision had been in place since 2012, but preparations could only begin in 2020 and construction had taken two and a half years. Unlike the Mur power plant in Graz, no activists chained themselves to trees north of the capital, no protest camps had to be evacuated, no demonstrations took place. "Hydropower is environmental protection," said Karl Heinz Gruber, Managing Director of Verbund, probably with a little provocation. "We avoid 30,000 tons of CO₂. But yes, the power plant is a transverse structure."
One of these prevents fish from migrating in the river. "We have created 18.5 soccer pitches of compensation areas, renatured them and built 200 meters of 'natural' watercourses." This "fish migration path" can be seen at the Mur power plant as a small stream next to the concrete giant.
Facts and figures
- The Mur power plant in Gratkorn has an output of eleven megawatts.
- It is almost 60 meters wide and six and a half meters high.
- You can cross the power station on foot or by bike.
- The two turbines have a diameter of four meters.
Energy transition demands everything from the rivers
By 2040, we will need twice as much electricity - think of e-cars and the like, reminded Verbund CEO Michael Strugl. "That is a major challenge. Photovoltaics and wind power will grow in terms of yields, but hydropower will cover the lion's share. We will do well to continue building power plants." The footpath and cycle path were also renewed.
The board members of Energie Steiermark were also in agreement: "We want to be climate-neutral by 2040, and this is one piece of the mosaic," said Martin Graf. Christian Purrer continued: "Energie Steiermark has never built or helped to build so many hydropower plants as in the last ten years."
What this means for the region
The growing greater Graz area needs green energy, said Deputy Governor Anton Lang (SPÖ), who incidentally had awarded the province's animal welfare prize to long-time anti-hydropower activist Franz "Huchenfranz" Keppel the previous evening. "The power plant will also protect the surrounding area from flooding."
The state government would not be dissuaded from its path. This was also emphasized by LH Christopher Drexler (ÖVP): "This is a day of joy. We are pulling together on the path to climate neutrality."
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