Petition: Stop the Kaunertal Hydro Power Plant Expansion!
YES to the protection of the Alps and rivers.
YES to a nature-friendly energy transition.
NO to the expansion of the Kaunertal hydroelectric power plant!
The Ötztal Alps, with their extensive glaciers, harbor the last major water resources of the Eastern Alps. Countless species of animals and plants still find an intact refuge here. This significant natural habitat must not be sacrificed. The expansion of the Kaunertal power plant threatens catastrophic consequences for both humans and nature. Up to 80 percent of the water from the ecologically valuable glacier rivers Venter and Gurgler Ache is planned to be diverted. This massive water withdrawal would severely impact the water supply for the entire Ötztal valley. Especially in times of the climate crisis, this is completely counterproductive.
Enormous Development in the Heart of the Alps
At the same time, in the Platzertal, a so far almost untouched high valley, a new dam with a height of 120 meters is planned to be built. This is almost the height of St. Stephen’s Cathedral in Vienna, five times the height of the Brandenburg Gate in Berlin, and seven times the height of the Golden Roof in Innsbruck. Behind this dam, 63,000 square meters of valuable moorland would forever sink into a reservoir – even though we urgently need moors in the fight against the climate crisis. We can only tackle the climate crisis and the extinction of species with the help of nature. Therefore, we must protect the last intact natural habitats and rivers of the Alps. Politics and TIWAG (Tiroler Wasserkraft AG) must set the course for a nature-friendly energy transition, instead of unilaterally focusing on the construction of new hydroelectric power plants. The enormous expansion of the Kaunertal power plant is a negative example throughout the Alps of a strategy that is no longer in keeping with the times.
What We’re Aksing of the Tyrolean Regional Government:
- Halt the plans for the expansion of the Kaunertal power plant.
- Protection for the remaining pristine Alpine rivers.
- Advocate for the preservation of untouched Alpine landscapes like the Platzertal.
- Support a shift towards energy sources that are friendly to nature and the environment.
