The news caused a stir at the end of last week: Several municipal energy providers want to jointly operate the Walchensee power plant.
The Stadtwerke Penzberg are also part of this “Regional Interest Group Walchenseekraftwerk” - and that for several reasons, as their manager André Behre explains.
Penzberg -
In 2030 the water rights for the almost 100-year-old hydropower plant on Lake Walchensee will expire. It is currently owned by the global Uniper Group. But that should change. In future, the municipalities affected by water use, such as Kochel, Krün or Mittenwald, want to have a say at the political level. Talks have also been held for some time at the regional energy supplier level about a regionally anchored operation of the power plant. Only now, however, has the association been made known: In addition to the municipal utilities Munich and municipal energy providers such as the municipal utilities Bad Tölz, Wolfratshausen and Geretsried or the municipal utilities Murnau and Garmisch-Partenkirchen, the municipal utilities Penzberg are also part of the Walchenseekraftwerk regional interest group.
Why?
"Because it is essential for the energy turnaround that it also takes place in the region," explains the head of the Penzberger Stadtwerke, André Behre, when asked.
And because Stadtwerke Penzberg also want to “help shape” the regional energy transition.
If the municipal company were to take a stake in the Walchensee power plant, “then the citizens of Penzberg would again have access to a piece of ecological electricity from the neighborhood.
And we can leave the added value here in the region, ”said Behre.
The Walchensee power plant has been producing green electricity since 1924
The Walchensee power plant has been producing green electricity since 1924.
There are currently around 300 million kilowatt hours a year.
Three lakes, ten rivers and brooks in the region are integrated into the complex green electricity production system, as read in a press release from the city of Munich last Friday.
The idea of introducing itself as a new operator as an interest group "came from among the companies involved," said Behre.
Because the various municipal and municipal utilities in the region have been in close contact for a long time.
"We have been closely networked with each other for many years."
To what extent the Penzberg municipal utilities intend to participate in the Walchensee power plant, there are currently only initial rough estimates: As Behre explained, the Walchensee power plant has a total output of 124 megawatts.
Stadtwerke Penzberg would participate purely arithmetically with around three megawatts.
"But that can still change," said Behre.
The Stadtwerke boss does not want to name any concrete sums.
Because at the moment it is still completely open what the power plant will cost at all.
At this point in time, the regional interest group has only expressed its fundamental interest in the power plant.
There are no risks whatsoever with that.
First participation in a hydropower plant for Penzberger Stadtwerke
Whether one will get a move is currently just as uncertain as the time by when a decision on the future operator will be made. One does not even know how the process will even run, with which the water rights for the power plant will be reassigned, so Behre. Because when awarding water rights - the procedure is to be coordinated at the Tölz district office - new legal territory is being broken.
For the Penzberger Stadtwerke it would be the first participation in a hydropower plant, according to Behre.
In the case of wind power plants, on the other hand, the municipal company is already involved: It participates in the “Energy Alliance Bavaria”, which develops or buys wind farms nationwide.
Since 2019, Stadtwerke Penzberg has been involved in the Neutz wind farm in Saxony-Anhalt and in the Wadern-Wenzelstein wind farm in Saarland, which went online at the end of 2020.
The company is also active in the solar sector: Among other things, the municipal utilities founded the companies “VSP 22” and “VSP 23” with the Munich company “Vispiron”, which since August 2018 has operated the two solar parks on the state road Penzberg-Bichl - together 1 , 5 megawatts - operate.
