VERBUND’s Greifenstein power plant is a run-of-river power plant on the Danube, situated in the municipality of Stockerau in Lower Austria.
The Greifenstein power plant was built between 1981 and 1985. Nine horizontal Kaplan bulb turbines generate an annual average of approx. 1,753 GWh of electricity. The "Giessgang" created during construction of the power plant remains a milestone in the ecological design of power plants. The Greifenstein fish bypass was opened in 2018 and, as a natural bypass stream, offers freedom from barriers and a habitat for fish and other aquatic lifeforms.
Owner: VERBUND Hydro Power GmbH
Operator: VERBUND Hydro Power GmbH
Commissioning: 1985
Type: Run-of-river power plant
Country: Austria
Region: Lower Austria
Waters: Danube
Output: 293 MW
Annual output: 1,752,805 MWh
Turbine: Kaplan
Connectivity: Fish bypass
In Greifenstein, one of the nine turbines also needs to be inspected once a year. We use this rare opportunity for a trip under the Danube into the bowels of the power plant. The 6.5-metre turbine is inspected and serviced during the dry season so that it is ready for use again when the snow melts.
Turbines and generators: Nine horizontally installed Kaplan bulb turbine with an average head of 12.6 metres have a bottleneck capacity of 293,000 kW.
Weir system: Six hydraulically controllable pressure segments with flap gate on top close the weir system. The Greifenstein power plant was built between 1981 and 1985 in the dry construction method and co-financed by EVN and Wien Strom GmbH.
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The Danube power plant Greifenstein will be equipped with a new fish bypass in the course of the EU LIFE+ project “Network Danube”. A near-natural stream will help the fish to traverse the 10 metre-high barrier of the Danube power plant. Necessary for this is a 4.4 kilometre-long channel that bypasses the existing, ecologically valuable areas.
The removal of barriers to fish is just one of the goals in the “LIFE+ Network Danube” project. The main objective is the connection of existing, ecologically healthy areas as well as land restoration projects. The Greifenstein fish bypass lies in the European conservation area “Tullnerfelder Donau-Auen”, the biggest continuous wetland area in Austria.
In the video we take you to the Danube power station Greifenstein. (German only)
