“Generating electricity from hydropower has great sustainability credentials. With the construction of the new Limberg III power plant, we are realising a project that will safeguard the supply of green energy in Austria long-term. Our comprehensive knowhow in underground power plant construction, our inhouse tunnelling expertise and our experience in building in High-Alpine terrain make us the perfect partner”, said Karl-Heinz Strauss, CEO of PORR.
Together with HINTEREGGER, PORR was involved in building the main phase of the Kaprun power plant more than 70 years ago before serving as the technical lead for the construction work on the predecessor project Limberg II between 2006 and 2011. Limberg III will be built completely underground between the existing reservoirs of Mooserboden and Wasserfallboden. The new power plant units will be installed in an underground system of caverns, passages and structures.
The consortium is responsible for the new construction of around 3 km of headrace and for building a pressure shaft with a length of 770 m. In addition, 85,000 m3 of material will be excavated for the caverns needed to house the machinery and the transformer. Moreover, the project team will excavate various access tunnels, passages and shafts over a total length of 4.5 km. The consortium will get to work in early summer 2021 and should be finished by 2025.
Green powerhouse in Austria's Alps
Pumped-storage power plants are currently the most efficient – by a considerable margin – way to store large quantities of electricity cleanly and make it available in the shortest time for peaks in demand. Limberg III will increase the overall output of the Glockner-Kaprun power station group, adding an installed capacity of 480 MW in pump mode as well as in turbine mode. Once completed, it will be ideally tailored to meet the future needs of the energy transition. Special plant technology in the new power station will provide fine control to the grid, with the capability to operate in part-load ranges with great flexibility – the ideal setup for safe, secure and affordable electricity supply.
Facts and figures at a glance
| Project type: | Underground construction |
| Scope of services: | New construction of 3 km headrace with a diameter of 7.3 m; 770 m pressure shaft and riser with 5.80 m diameter and 90% incline; 85,000 m³ excavation for caverns for machinery and transformer; various access tunnels, passages and shafts over a total length of around 4.5 km |
| Client: | VERBUND Hydro Power GmbH (VHP) |
| Contractor: | PORR Bau GmbH and G. HINTEREGGER & Söhne Baugesellschaft m.b.H (50%); Marti Tunnel AG and Marti GmbH (50%) |
| Planned completion: | Q2/2021 to 2025 |
| Contract value: | Total contract value for the consortium of approx. EUR 150m; Contract value for PORR/HINTEREGGER of approx. EUR 75m |
