Pumped storage power plant Limberg III

Limberg III officially opened

September 2025

On September 12, 2025, VERBUND will write another chapter in Austrian energy history in Kaprun. After around four years of construction, Austria's most modern pumped storage power plant was officially opened. Limberg III makes a decisive contribution to maintaining grid stability and security of supply in the country by providing highly efficient flexibility. The expansion of the "green battery" in the heart of Austria represents an important milestone in the successful energy transition.

New pumped storage power plant for the energy transition

The existence of large, flexible pumped storage power plants is fundamental for the successful energy transition towards a CO2-free power supply. For the time being, pumped storage is and will remain by far the most efficient way to store electricity cleanly on a large scale and to keep it available for demand peaks in the shortest possible time.

For this purpose, a third transformer and power plant cavern will be built into the mountain next to the existing power plants and will be connected to the existing reservoirs Mooserboden and Wasserfallboden with a headrace tunnel.

More about pumped storage power plants

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Television report: The battery in the Alps - The Limberg III storage power plant

On 13 April, a report by Österreich-Bild on the Limberg 3 pumped storage power plant was broadcasted on ORF 2. Watch the full programme here. More information about the programme can be found in the link to the report.

Television report: The battery in the Alps

Crane erected on Limberg barrier in Kaprun

The dam wall of the Wasserfallboden high mountain reservoir will be raised by around 9 meters over the next three years. A gigantic crane has been erected on the Limbergsperre over the last three days to carry out the necessary concrete work.

Second 355-tonne rotor successfully lifted into place

The commissioning of VERBUND’s Limberg III pumped storage power plant in Kaprun is coming ever closer. On 9th May, the next milestone was achieved with the successful installation of the rotor of generator set 2. The 355-tonne steel element had to be lifted into the stator with millimetre accuracy using a suspension crane specifically designed for this purpose. This means the last major machine element is now in place at the site where it is to be used. Maximum accuracy and zero tolerance are crucial here for VERBUND’s engineers as the rotor needs to function smoothly under extreme loads for decades to come.

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Several workers in protective clothing are working on the new rotor at Limberg III, using a yellow lifting beam, inside a hall.

Power plant construction site 2024: What happened last year

Watch the video to see what has happened on the power plant construction site in just one year.

How the 355 tonne rotor was lifted in

On 12 September, significant progress was made on the large-scale construction site of the Limberg 3 pumped storage power plant in Kaprun: the rotor of machine 1 was successfully installed. To do this, the 355 tonne steel part had to be lifted into the stator using the overhead crane set up for this purpose.

Lifting the ribbed shaft into position in October 2023

The ribbed shaft, which transfers the power of the water to the turbines of Limberg 3, weighs 91 tonnes and is 10 metres long. The gigantic steel pin was lifted into place centimetre by centimetre using the indoor cranes. Dexterity, strong nerves and good coordination of the personnel are crucial.

Limberg 3 power plant construction site in April 2023

Get an insight into the power plant construction site in Kaprun in April 2023.

A large circular metal pipe with many holes stands on scaffolding inside Limberg III, with people silhouetted inside.

Snow-covered mountains surround a reservoir with a high dam in the foreground.

A plumb bob hangs in front of a large rusty metal pipe; a dark silhouette stands in the tunnel in the background.

Two workers in hi-vis vests walk through a dark tunnel with pipes and cables, lit by long lamps.

Top view in a workshop shows a large metal component with a round opening ring, beside pipes, ropes and tools.

Large construction site inside a rock chamber with concrete walls, scaffolding and cranes; a large metal component with VOITH signs stands in the centre.

Deep in the cavern of Limberg 3

Austria's largest power plant construction site in Kaprun has reached its first milestone: the enormous power plant cavern is complete. At 43 metres high, the Limberg 3 machine cavern would be as tall as Vienna's St. Stephen's Cathedral. But instead, once the excavation work is complete, the enormous cavity will be filled with concrete floor by floor.
We explored this enormous space while it was still empty.

Limberg 3 power plant construction site in summer 2022

See how far construction had progressed in summer 2022.

A worker in a helmet and hi-vis vest walks through a lit tunnel with rock walls and cables.

Workers in helmets and hi-vis vests stand by a large machine with cables and yellow pipes.

View over an alpine valley with a reservoir, dam and buildings; green slopes with snow patches and clouds under a blue sky.

Workers assemble a large white machine in a tunnel chamber, with cables, chains and lifting gear.

A look at the enormous drill head that dug the tunnels at Limberg III.

A glimpse of the Limberg III construction site. Various construction vehicles are working on the cavern.

Ceremonial start of construction of Limberg III

By 2030, 100% of Austria's electricity is to come from renewable energy sources (nationally, on balance). The Limberg 3 pumped storage power plant, the construction of which began on 17 September 2021, will make an important contribution to this.

In particular, to make electricity from forms of generation that depend on the weather and time of day available when it is needed.

Impressions of the ceremonial start of construction of Limberg 3

This was a fitting start to the construction of Limberg 3, one of the largest investments in the future of energy.

A man speaks into a microphone on a VERBUND stage; the background shows partial text including “… in die Energie …” and “Kraftwerk Limberg.”

Two men in suits smile in an industrial hall; other people stand in the background, including a man holding a camera.

A woman in a brown jacket holds a small statue; two workers in yellow hard hats and orange high-vis jackets stand behind her in front of mountains.

Ten people stand on a stage in front of a VERBUND backdrop reading “VERBUND investiert in die Energiezukunft” and “Pumpspeicherkraftwerk Limberg III”.

At a VERBUND event, three men stand on a stage; a screen at right shows the speaker holding a microphone in front of a decorated panel.

A large number of people are attending the opening of Limberg III; at the front is a screen displaying ‘Verbund’.

Technical data Limberg power plant

Average drop height: 365 m
Machine set quantity: 2
Turbine / pump power: 2 x 240 MW
Flow rate per pump turbine set: 72 m3/s
Total height of a machine set: 18,5 m

Several workers in safety gear assemble a large yellow component over a round red and blue machine in a hall.

Project start and location sketch of Limberg 3

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Pumped storage power plant Limberg III

Limberg III officially opened

September 2025

New pumped storage power plant for the energy transition

Quantity

Flow rate

Power in megawatts

Mio. Euro

Television report: The battery in the Alps - The Limberg III storage power plant

Crane erected on Limberg barrier in Kaprun

Second 355-tonne rotor successfully lifted into place

Power plant construction site 2024: What happened last year

How the 355 tonne rotor was lifted in

Lifting the ribbed shaft into position in October 2023

Limberg 3 power plant construction site in April 2023

Deep in the cavern of Limberg 3

Limberg 3 power plant construction site in summer 2022

Ceremonial start of construction of Limberg III

Impressions of the ceremonial start of construction of Limberg 3

Technical data Limberg power plant

Project start and location sketch of Limberg 3

Press releases

Working with the
power of nature.
Together.

Hydropower

Energy sources

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Pumped storage power plant Limberg III

Limberg III officially opened

September 2025

New pumped storage power plant for the energy transition

Quantity

Flow rate

Power in megawatts

Mio. Euro

Television report: The battery in the Alps - The Limberg III storage power plant

Crane erected on Limberg barrier in Kaprun

Second 355-tonne rotor successfully lifted into place

Power plant construction site 2024: What happened last year

How the 355 tonne rotor was lifted in

Lifting the ribbed shaft into position in October 2023

Limberg 3 power plant construction site in April 2023

Deep in the cavern of Limberg 3

Limberg 3 power plant construction site in summer 2022

Ceremonial start of construction of Limberg III

Impressions of the ceremonial start of construction of Limberg 3

Technical data Limberg power plant

Project start and location sketch of Limberg 3

Press releases

Working with the power of nature.Together.

Error

Working with the
power of nature.
Together.