VERBUND power plant Hieflau-Erzbach is a run-of-river power plant situated on the Erzbach and in the municipality of Hieflau in Styria.
The Hieflau-Erzbach power plant was built between 1953 and 1956 at the same time as the neighbouring Hieflau power plant. The power plant was modernised in stages, starting in 1989. A generator was replaced, the bedload channel and weir system extended. Today, the run-of-river power plant generates an annual average of 1 GWh of electricity entirely from hydropower.
Owner: VERBUND Hydro Power GmbH
Operator: VERBUND Hydro Power GmbH
Commissioning: 1956
Type: Run-of-river power plant
Country: Austria
Region: Styria
Waters: Erzbach, Enns
Output: 0.3 MW
Annual output: 1,032 MWh
Turbine: Kaplan
Connectivity: Fish bypass is in the planning process
The machine hall houses a Kaplan turbine. With its four-bladed, 1.125 m impeller, the turbine has a nominal output of 300 kW at a flow rate of 5 m³/sec. The connected 300 kVA three-phase generator has a nominal voltage of 400 V.
The energy generated is stepped up to 30 kV via a 400 kVA machine transformer and fed into the STEWEAG regional grid.
The Erzbach stream is dammed up 6 m in front of the Hieflau power house with a wooden weir and the water is fed to the turbine. A separate bedload channel at the foot of the weir, which runs parallel to the tailwater to the Enns, is available for the removal of bedload.
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The construction of a fish bypass is currently being planned.
The entire plant group of the Styrian hydropower plants has been awarded the environmental certificate ISO 14001. The power plants on the rivers Mur and Enns not only fulfil the statutory requirements but also focus on high environmental standards and technical innovations. The goal is the efficient use of hydropower and the balance between economy and ecology. The effectiveness and benefit of the environmental management system are mainly the responsibility of our employees, who undergo constant training and development in this area.
Wherever ecologically valuable and technically feasible, VERBUND has set itself the goal of guaranteeing the continuity of flow for domestic fish and aquatic life at the locations of its hydropower plants. By 2025, VERBUND will invest 280 million euros on the implementation of fish bypasses and other ecological structural measures.
