We look out over a hydroelectric power station in bright blue sunshine. The mood is autumnal.

Danube power plants

Measuring around 2,850 kilometres in length, the Danube is the second-longest river in Europe after the Volga River and flows through a total of 10 countries, more than any other river in the world. It rises in the Black Forest in Germany and flows into the Black Sea in the Danube Delta in Romania.

The Danube plays an important role in trade and shipping in Central Europe as it links major cities including Vienna, Budapest and Belgrade. The river is also known for its biodiversity, especially in the Danube Delta, which is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and home to a variety of bird species and abundant flora and fauna.

Energy on the Danube

The Danube, Europe’s second-largest river, is the largest energy source for VERBUND hydropower plants in Upper Austria, Lower Austria and Vienna. It delivers vast volumes of environmentally friendly electricity from renewable hydropower. The diverse use of the Danube entails a corresponding responsibility for us humans. On the one hand, we want to use it to satisfy the energy demands of our modern lifestyle smartly and cleanly. On the other hand, we want to keep interventions in the Danube to a minimum in order to preserve and strengthen the biodiversity of the river for future generations.

A view of the Altenwörth run-of-river power station on the Danube. The mood is summery and the sky is blue.

Huge continuous generators on the Danube

The generator sets on the VERBUND Danube power plants are among the largest in Central Europe. One of the Kaplan turbines measures up to 7.5 metres in diameter. Thanks to their highly predictable continuous operation, the Danube power plants form the backbone of the domestic electricity supply.

More electricity from the Danube

Austria’s largest rehabilitation measure was implemented in Ybbs-Persenbeug. In Austria’s oldest Danube power plant, the generator sets and control technology from the 1950s were replaced bit by bit. The revitalised facility now generates 77 million more kilowatt-hours than before.

More information about the project

The picture shows the turbine of the Altenwörth run-of-river power plant during inspection. The entire picture is dark and employees are working on the turbine.

What do power plants do during floods?

Power plants on the Danube and floods

Flooding of the Danube in 2013

We see the Danube during a flood at a run-of-river power station. The muddy river shows its concentrated power and sweeps everything away.

Due to heavy rainfall along the entire northern edge of the Alps, a once-in-a-century flood wave surged through the Danube valley, causing enormous damage. The Eferding Basin, which has no flood protection, was affected by a flood of a magnitude that statistically occurs only once every 250 years. The volume of water was even more than in the “flood of the century” in 1954. However, the peak water levels of 1954 were not reached.

During flood events, Danube power plants have no capacity for retention. Where possible, power plants control the water levels in accordance with government-defined regulations, the Weir Operating Regulations. The main aim is to protect the dams and the people who live behind them.

Investigations and analyses

In the official flood report, the highest water authority confirms that VERBUND employees did everything possible during the flood to minimise damage.

The Ministry of the Environment, together with the hydrographic departments of the federal states, presented a detailed analysis of the June 2013 flood. In addition to official data on the event, comparisons were also made with previous catastrophic floods.

View analysis

Previous floods on the Danube

The black and white photo shows a flood on the Danube in 1975. All the surrounding fields are flooded.

In July 1954, a catastrophic Danube flood shook postwar Austria, which was still occupied at that time. Aid shipments from all over Europe alleviated the worst of the crisis. The media of the time described immense devastation, especially in Upper Austria. The Oberösterreichische Nachrichten lamented the loss of “50,000 hectares of fertile soil”. Farmland became a “sea of mud”, wrote the Arbeiter-Zeitung, and the Linzer Volksblatt reported a “sand desert between Eferding and Danube”.

Oberösterreichische Nachrichten, 12 July 1954PDF / 401.4 KB

Arbeiter-Zeitung, 21 July 1954PDF / 931.8 KB

Linzer Volksblatt, 21 July 1954PDF / 784.5 KB

Technical discussions were dominated by considerations regarding how power plant construction should relate to flooding on the Danube River. In the section “Planning, history and principles of Danube power plants”, author Kurt Liewehr explains: “Therefore, in its construction projects, Donaukraftwerke AG is not allowed to protect flood plains. On the contrary, it must [sic] pay particular attention to preserving these retention areas, which are of utmost importance for the storage and retention of flood masses and for mitigating flood peaks”.

Experience the Danube power plants

Explore our interactive map of VERBUND’s Danube power plants and learn how they generate sustainable electricity along the Danube River. Discover the locations and the innovative technologies used in our power plants. Be inspired by the energy of the Danube River and see how VERBUND is using hydropower to create an environmentally friendly future of energy.

Click through the map to learn more about our important facilities. Further information about our power plant on the Danube Canal can be found here.

Hold the ALT key and use the scroll wheel to zoom in on the map.

Use two fingers to zoom in on the map.

Our power plants on the Danube

POWER PLANTS	Capacity	Annual generation	Commissioning	Region
Abwinden-Asten	168 MW	995,700 MWh	1980	Austria, Upper Austria
Altenwörth	328 MW	1,967,600 MWh	1976	Austria, Lower Austria
Aschach	287 MW	1,686,400 MWh	1964	Austria, Upper Austria
Greifenstein	293 MW	1,717,300 MWh	1985	Austria, Lower Austria
Jochenstein	132 MW	850,000 MWh	1956	Germany, Bavaria
Melk	187 MW	1,221,600 MWh	1982	Austria, Lower Austria
Ottensheim-Wilhering	179 MW	1,134,900 MWh	1975	Austria, Upper Austria
Wallsee-Mitterkirchen	210 MW	1,318,800 MWh	1969	Austria, Lower Austria
Vienna-Freudenau	172 MW	1,052,000 MWh	1999	Austria, Lower Austria
Ybbs-Persenbeug	236 MW	1,335,900 MWh	1960	Austria, Lower Austria
Nußdorf near Vienna (Danube Canal)	5 MW	28,141 MWh	2005	Austria, Vienna

Danube water levels

“LIFE & the Danube”

Following the completion of construction work on the Altenwörth fish pass, VERBUND and its project partners presented the book “Life & the Danube. Renaturation projects on the Danube River”. In 240 pages, our authors vividly document the collaboration and the contribution we have made together with our partners in the European Union, the federal government and the federal states and in fishing associations and universities.

Download

Contact

Do you have any questions about electricity generation on the Danube? Our PR team is here to help you.

Florian Seidl

Spokesperson Region East

florian.seidl@verbund.com

+43 (0) 664 828 53 16

Danube power plants

Energy on the Danube