Tiwag project

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In a 14 km long headrace tunnel, water that has already generated electricity in Imst is fed into the powerhouse of the cavern (in the mountain) in Haiming. The lake (Inn to the north) is the hydropeaking basin.(Bild: Tiwag)

Preparations are underway for the construction of the power plant in Haiming in the Tyrolean Oberland. On Friday, there was another public information event on Tiwag's almost 700 million euro project.

"Before things really get underway, we wanted to give citizens another opportunity to find out more," said Michaela Ofner, the mayor of Haiming, explaining Tiwag's renewed presence in the Oberlandsaal. The relaxed and friendly conversation between the head of the village and her municipal counterpart Christian Köfler could certainly be seen as symbolic. Even if the sparks often fly in the municipal council: The Tiwag power plant project "Innstufe Imst-Haiming" seems to be developing in harmony. This is also confirmed by Hubert Leitner, chairman of the municipality's "power plant committee", the central body in this matter.

Citizens continued to discuss the matter recently.(Bild: Hubert Daum)

Start in September
In November 2024, the Federal Administrative Court gave the project the green light following various obligations to make improvements. "Preparations are already underway," says project manager Robert Reindl. This refers to the approximately 1,000 meters of rockfall protection netting over the area of the future cavern of the underground powerhouse and the temporary access and exit ramps to the freeway. Reindl: "So that material transports and other traffic do not pass through the residential area". The major work is due to start in September.

Tiwag is investing EUR 680 million in the Imst-Haiming Inn stage, which is set to generate 250 million kWh of electricity per year (60,000 households) from 2030. However, concerns that the boreholes could endanger the drinking water supply have not been dispelled. Hubert Wammes: "That might not be known for decades."