The safety of our facilities has many aspects. Safety is a top priority from the planning stage onwards, whether we are building run-of-river or storage power plants.
Our hydropower plants are regularly maintained. We ensure at all times that all mechanical and electrical components are functioning properly and there are no backlogs of repairs that could adversely affect safety. The necessary
emergency plans and evacuation procedures are periodically reviewed and revised, and regularly rehearsed in crisis exercises.
The training and ongoing education of our staff are crucial here, as we ensure that all employees are familiar with the safety protocols and can act correctly in an emergency.
Every dam is designed to withstand loads several times greater than those it is actually subjected to. The structures are designed to resist various loads such as temperature, water level and earthquakes.
Even after the completion of a dam, safety remains the top priority. Highly sensitive measuring devices make every small change visible. Numerous measuring devices in a dam transmit measured readings in real time to enable continuous monitoring.
In addition, there are regular patrols by trained personnel who perform visual inspections, carry out further measurements, and record and analyse the measured values.
Dam walls are structures in natural environments that are planned, calculated and constructed by people. Problems can arise with dams, of course, but careful planning and constant monitoring ensure that catastrophes can be largely ruled out or averted. All of VERBUND’s dams are designed to allow water to be released rapidly in a controlled manner in order to reduce the load on the structure. In the unlikely event of the worst-case scenario occurring – the rupture and collapse of a dam – the civil protection authorities have plans in place. VERBUND would be part of the official disaster management system in this case.
When run-of-river power plants are approved, care is taken to ensure that there are as few changes as possible compared to the natural state, i.e. conditions before the power plant was built.
Run-of-river power plants are therefore not flood protection structures. While they do protect local residents by allowing backwater to be released in a controlled manner using the adjustable-height gates of the weir, they have virtually no way of holding back a flood wave because they do not have the required storage capacity.
In the event of a flood, official crisis management measures come into effect. The state governments’ hydrographic services are responsible for issuing warnings – they have automatic access to the water levels at all power plants.
