Kaunertal Power Plant Expansion - Status Update January 2025

In this post, we want to update you on the project status for the Kaunertal power plant expansion as of January 2025.

Delays and Splitting the Project

The environmental impact assessment for the Kaunertal power plant expansion still hasn’t started. You might remember that TIWAG was supposed to submit the revised EIA documents to the state of Tyrol by the end of October 2024. Well, that didn’t happen.

Instead, TIWAG asked the state of Tyrol for permission to submit and review the project in two parts—and they got the green light. Now, they have until the end of April 2025 to revise and submit the section covering the Versetz pumped storage plant and the Platzertal reservoir.

The second part of the submission includes everything that directly involves water from the Ötztal region. This covers things like water extractions from the Venter and Gurgler Ache rivers, the transfer tunnel into the Kaunertal, the Prutz 2 and Imst 2 power plants, and all other necessary work along the Inn River. The deadline for this part? The end of September 2027. No, that’s not a typo—two and a half years later.

What Does This Mean for the Project?

The “Kaunertal Power Plant Expansion” is still one project, but it will now have two separate approvals. Splitting up an environmental impact assessment into different “approval phases” is common for long-term projects like roads or tunnels. But for a series of power plants? Not so much. That said, this move does come with some benefits for TIWAG.

Right now, getting approval for water extractions from the Ötztal is politically tricky, so TIWAG is putting that part on hold. If they get the green light for the pumped storage project, they can push for the extractions later. And they might use an argument they’ve been making for over a decade—one they conveniently stopped mentioning recently: that the pumped storage plant isn’t financially viable without extra water from the Ötztal.

TIWAG has pushed the second submission deadline way into the future—until the end of September 2027, which is after the next state election. And that gives them several advantages. First, they’re hoping resistance in the Ötztal weakens over time, with local opposition groups losing momentum. Second, the political landscape might change after the election, making it easier to get approval. And third, this timeline could put pressure on Mattle, who recently spoke out against the Ötztal water extractions. If he doesn’t back the project, TIWAG might throw their support behind someone else as his successor.

One thing is clear—this split makes it easier for TIWAG to push their plans through. But if they were hoping to divide the people and groups fighting against the project, that won’t happen. We’re in this for the long haul!