The Free State of Bavaria is to become the owner of the Walchensee power plant in 2030: This is what Hans Urban, Member of the State Parliament of the Greens, wants.
Kochel am See - "With the privatization in 1994, the Free State sold its crown jewels", criticized Urban.
If the water rights for the Walchensee power plant expire in 2030, there will be a “unique opportunity to correct this.
Urban is aware that the buyback will not be cheap.
In order to finance it, the Free State could sell its Eon share package.
The advantages of a change of ownership are obvious for Urban.
In the future, the Free State itself could determine the ecological conditions under which the power plant should run: "The Free State would then no longer have to appear as a petitioner to an international corporation."
60 percent of the hydropower generated in the district comes from the Walchensee power plant
Stefan Drexlmeier, Managing Director of Energiewende Oberland, sees this in exactly the same way: “It would be great if regional players got involved.
They shape the region and support, for example, the sports clubs ”.
Drexlmeier emphasized the extreme importance of the Walchensee power plant for the district.
The proportion of renewable energies in the district is 84 percent.
60 percent of this comes from the Walchensee power plant.
At the moment, however, the energy transition is "a huge pain".
Hydropower is currently being celebrated, but the potential has largely been exhausted.
At the same time, however, wind power, solar and biogas systems are also viewed critically.
His conclusion: "Given the current framework conditions, we will not make the energy transition by 2035."
The water rights on Lake Walchensee will expire in ten years
Markus Aufleger, head of the hydraulic engineering department at the University of Innsbruck, confirmed that a large corporation was certainly working differently than, for example, the Tölzer Stadtwerke.
He himself works for Uniper, which also operates the Walchensee power plant, in a pumped storage power plant.
"From my point of view, this is a professional operator."
He thinks it's good that discussions begin ten years before the contracts expire.
You have to think about a lot, for example how much water a river needs to be able to do its ecological tasks.
On the other hand, one cubic meter of water per second at a height of 260 meters is an important contribution to the renewable energy system.
"It is important to find a common path."
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In connection with the expiry of the water rights on the Walchensee, an alliance is working to ensure that the ugly mud tie on the Walchensee is avoided in the future.
