- Pumped storage power plant to be built at Passau from 2025
After decades of discussions, the construction of a pumped storage power plant and a reservoir above the Danube in the Passau district is gradually taking shape. Bavarian Economics Minister Hubert Aiwanger (FW) told the "Passauer Neue Presse" that after the completion of the exploratory procedure, the plan approval decision is expected this year. The Austrian energy company Verbund AG is already planning to start construction as early as 2025.
The 24-hectare reservoir is to be built in Untergriesbach, 300 meters above the Danube in a natural depression, and will hold around four million cubic meters of water. When electricity demand is low and there is excess wind and solar power from renewable energy sources, water from the Danube will be pumped into the storage lake. When demand is high and there are shortages in the grid, the water will flow back through turbines to generate electricity. The power plant has a capacity of 300 megawatts.
Aiwanger said: "We urgently need the pumped storage plant for the expansion of renewable energy sources, so that not so much has to be curtailed." After years of stagnation, things are finally moving forward. Verbund AG is closely connected to the region on the Bavarian-Austrian border and "secures energy generation, contracts for companies, jobs, and tax revenues. No other investor has been found who is willing to invest around half a billion euros in this important project, which will only generate profits in decades." Around the reservoir, a recreational area with green spaces and paths will be created. "This will also be a tourist magnet."
The 24-hectare reservoir, intended for storing excess renewable energy, will be built in a natural depression 300 meters above the Danube in Untergriesbach. After being pumped during periods of low demand and abundant renewable energy, the water stored in the reservoir will be released to generate electricity during periods of high demand and grid shortages, contributing to the power plant's 300 megawatt capacity.
