Dispute over water

“Mega power plant must go back to the drawing board”

The 2300-metre-high Platzertal valley must be preserved at all costs, demands environmental lawyer Walter Tschon.(Bild: WWF)

Following the heated debate in the provincial parliament about the diversion of Ötztal water for the power plant project, the Tyrolean environmental advocate has intervened: he is calling for nature-friendly power plants and sees only one solution. 

This week, experts met in Vienna regarding the EU renaturation regulation. Deputy Tyrolean Environmental Ombudsman Walter Tschon was also present. "The member states should announce what concrete measures they want to take. They have until 2026," reports Tschon.

"Mire destruction in the Platzertal covering around 6.5 hectares"
The planned expansion of the Kaunertal power plant is of particular importance: "This involves the destruction of around 6.5 hectares of moorland in the Platzertal valley - around nine soccer pitches. This puts the province of Tyrol in first place in the entire Central European region when it comes to the large-scale destruction of moorland," criticizes Tschon.

He is calling for the EIA process for the Kaunertal power plant to be stopped in the version of the project currently being applied for, because "climate protection and nature conservation belong together".

Tiwag should look beyond the borders
Tschon emphasizes that he is not against power plants: at least 42 new hydropower plants have been planned and approved since 2012, the majority in close consultation with the Provincial Environmental Ombudsman. Large hydropower plants in particular are expressly supported, "as long as they are planned in an environmentally optimized manner. Let the Kopswerk II plant in Vorarlberg serve as an example!"