Kaprun Main Stage
Storage Power Plant

The Kaprun Main Stage power plant in the municipality of Kaprun in Salzburg is part of a large power generation group consisting of reservoirs and power plants.

The four storage reservoirs (Margaritze, Mooserboden, Wasserfallboden and Klammsee), the highest of which is situated 2,000 metres above sea level, guarantee an optimal water supply for the Kaprun plant group, supported by pumping stations and pumped storage power plants. The first reservoirs and the Kaprun main stage storage power station were built between 1938 and 1953 and consumed a large amount of resources.

The Kaprun main stage power plant forms the heart of green electricity generation and has the highest annual generate output of the plant group. The installation of two new turbines and generators as well as a new transformer in 2016 increased the output of the power plant by approx. 10%.

Power plant data

Owner: VERBUND Hydro Power GmbH
Operator: VERBUND Hydro Power GmbH
Commissioning: 1953
Type: Storage power plant
Country: Austria
Region: Salzburg
Waters: Salzach, Kapruner Ache
Output: 260 MW
Annual output: 549,455 MWh
Turbine: Pelton

Technical description

Power house: The machine hall of the Kaprun main stage houses four machine sets with horizontal shafts and a total bottleneck capacity of 260,000 kW. Of the four double Pelton turbines, two turbines have single nozzles and two turbines have double nozzles. The nominal capacity of the single-nozzle turbines is 47,000 kW each, while the nominal capacity of the double-nozzle turbines is 86,000 kW each. Two of the generators have a nominal capacity of 100,000 kVA each and two generators have a nominal capacity of 60,000 kVA each.

The machine hall also houses the two machine sets of the Kaprun-Klammsee power plant, which produce for their own needs. The two Francis turbines with horizontal shafts and a bottleneck capacity of 500 kW in total are in operation for an average of 7,500 hours per year.