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The ÖBB power plant Obervellach II had more than 600 visitors over the weekend. What can the construction site offer to its visitors?

The ÖBB power plant Obervellach II had more than 600 visitors over the weekend. What can the construction site offer to its visitors?
photo: Sailerbrothers / ÖBB/The ÖBB power plant Obervellach II had more than 600 visitors over the weekend. What can the construction site offer to its visitors?
27 / 05 / 2022

Last Saturday, more than 600 visitors were able to experience the construction work for the new ÖBB power plant in Obervellach and Mallnitz first-hand. Residents and interested people from all over Carinthia did not miss this experience of a "major construction site in the Möll Valley." All construction areas and also the tunnel construction sites were open to visitors. At the new powerhouse, the youngest guests could let off steam in the children's adventure world. The tunnel and gallery tours had been fully booked for weeks. The dimensions of the underground tunnel system were particularly impressive.

Christian Höss, ÖBB project manager: "The underground storage tunnel will hold 60,000 m³ of water in the future. We are pleased to be able to show the currently still empty tunnel to interested members of the public as part of the tunnel tours."

The Obervellach II power plant at a glance

Since the beginning of the last century, the Lassach and Obervellach power plants have been supplying energy for railroad operations. Now the plants are at the end of their technical service life. Obervellach II power plant construction will create a brand new, independent power plant facility to replace the existing Obervellach and Lassach power plants. By the year 2024, three water catchments in the municipal area of Mallnitz and Obervellach, three water intakes (Mallnitz-, Dösen- and Kaponigbach), an approx. 4 km long headrace, a 50 Hz small hydropower plant and a storage tunnel will be built. The heart of the project is the new powerhouse as well as the balancing reservoir in the industrial area of Obervellach.

The ÖBB power plant Obervellach II had more than 600 visitors over the weekend / Sailerbrothers

The energy generated in the future corresponds to approx. 30,000 railjet journeys from Villach to Vienna. At the Obervellach site, the new construction of the traction power plant will increase energy generation by more than 35%.

ÖBB is one of the largest climate protection companies in Austria

In addition to the sustainable savings of around 3.5 million tons of CO2 per year through transport services, energy is also an issue with leverage for climate protection. For this reason, ÖBB has been using 100% traction current from renewable energies since 2018 and has also switched stations, offices, workshops and container cranes to green electricity in 2019.

The ÖBB power plant Obervellach II had more than 600 visitors over the weekend / Sailerbrothers

ÖBB produces around one-third of the traction current it needs to power its trains itself: in eight of its hydropower plants and six photovoltaic systems. To be able to act even more independently of the market in the future, ÖBB is further increasing its production of electricity from renewable energy sources. In this way, we are creating security of supply and a low-cost traction power supply. It is crucial to reliably provide rail operations for our passengers.

 

Source: ÖBB Press Releases

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