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Snow of tomorrow | Hydropower and its consequences - an interview with WET Tirol

"Change only happens through social pressure"

by Lisa Amenda • 03/28/2023

The Ötztaler Ache is one of the last natural rivers in Austria

Katja Jemec

The first wild river national park has just been established in Albania. Tyrol, on the other hand, continues to rely on hydropower. It may be renewable, but it is not environmentally friendly. Anne from WET Tirol explained to us why this is the case and why it is worth taking to the streets now to oppose the expansion of the Kaunertal power plant.

Lisa Amenda: The association "WET - Wildwasser erhalten Tirol" is committed to preserving the last unspoiled rivers and streams in Tyrol. It is very critical of the expansion of hydropower. At first you might think, why? After all, hydropower is a renewable energy source. What's so problematic about it?

Anne: You have to make a clear distinction between "renewable" and environmentally friendly/sustainable/green: Hydropower may be one of the renewable energies, but in most cases it is unfortunately neither green, nor sustainable. Any form of energy generation has an impact - but compared to all other renewable energy sources, the negative impact of hydropower on the environment is massively higher. Put very simply, the problem with hydropower is that a river is an interconnected ecological system from source to mouth, where sediments and nutrients are transported downstream and fish want to migrate upstream to breed. An intervention, such as a hydropower plant, interrupts the ecological permeability in both directions and has an impact on the entire river system. Wind turbines and photovoltaic systems, on the other hand, have a much more geographically limited impact. In addition, pumped-storage power plants in particular drain entire valleys and also have a massive impact on soil consumption, as other valleys are flooded for the reservoirs. These reservoirs then also emit methane. Downstream of power plants, the ecosystem suffers from unnatural water surges caused by flushing processes.

Scientists are now very much in agreement: hydropower is a long way from being considered "green" energy and should only be used in exceptional cases and with the utmost caution, if at all. This is slowly but surely being implemented throughout the western world. Instead of launching new hydropower plants, rivers are being renaturalized and dams dismantled. Hydropower is rarely the most sustainable or sensible solution - but unfortunately it is almost always the most profitable. The fact that hydropower expansion is still being driven forward on a large scale only happens in countries where there are no functioning democratic systems and insufficient environmental protection and where large foreign investors have an easy time of it - and in Tyrol.

Actually, there are already enough power plants.

Even leaving all this aside, the big problem with hydropower is that its level of expansion is now far too high worldwide and especially in Tyrol. River ecosystems are the most polluted and overexploited ecosystems worldwide and freshwater species are the most threatened with extinction. There are over 1000 hydropower plants in Tyrol and hardly a stream or river without at least one hydropower plant - usually several. The Ötztaler Ache is not only Tyrol's but Austria's last large glacial river that has not yet been massively diverted.

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Anne and Marieke are committed to water protection in Tyrol at WET

Harry Putz

How do you specifically campaign for the preservation of rivers and streams?

We mainly provide information about upcoming hydropower projects and try to educate people about the negative consequences by working our way through the project documents and making the information accessible in an understandable way, through flyers, newsletters, blog posts, social media, letters to the editor, etc. We give talks, organize information events and film evenings. In serious cases, we also organize protests such as petitions, demonstrations and email campaigns. We commission expert opinions and formulate counterstatements for negotiations. We have also been a state-recognized environmental organization since 2022 and therefore have party status in environmental impact assessments.

You founded WET in 2014. What was your motivation for starting something? Why wasn't it enough for you what the state and other NGOs were already doing?

The reason was the Sellrain-Silz/Kühtai power plant project that was pending at the time, which we were campaigning against. Back then, we didn't succeed: the project is under construction, but the Stubai Valley is being drained - and with it the Ruetz and the Sill - and the Längental is being flooded. All this despite the fact that the power plant is not even connected to the Tyrolean grid, but only produces electricity in exchange with Germany. Other NGOs have also campaigned against this, but we wanted to do our bit. You can't expect much from the state here: TIWAG belongs to the state of Tyrol - and the state government is blindly and exclusively relying on hydropower, so there is no consideration or honest dialog.

Do you think it is necessary for us as citizens to take to the streets and stand up for the things that are important to us?

Yes, absolutely! Change is unpleasant, it doesn't win elections. Change only happens through social pressure. As far as the expansion of the Kaunertal power plant is concerned, this is our only chance - before the environmental impact assessment hearing, there is no opportunity for us, other NGOs, residents and those affected to participate or engage in dialog. In the EIA, however, there are only negotiations about compensation measures and whether the project complies with the law - while the project applicants have been working for decades to ensure that the project complies with the law or that the laws correspond to their plans. This project can only be stopped by social resistance. In reality, we don't have much choice but to take to the streets.

You have described three specific campaigns on your website: Stubaital, Isel and Ötztal/Kaunertal. Why did you choose these three in particular?

These were simply the three major power plant projects that have been planned and negotiated in Tyrol since we were founded in 2014. There were many more, but these were the biggest and worst.

You are currently focusing on the planned power plant expansion in Kaunertal. Why should as many people as possible speak out against this project?

The expansion of the Kaunertal power plant is an ecological disaster, unsustainable, not fit for the future and not a sensible solution strategy - neither for the energy crisis nor for the climate crisis. Over 95% of the renewable electricity produced in Tyrol comes from hydropower, although all other renewable energy sources have massive potential for expansion. Hydropower in Tyrol is on the verge of total expansion, the end of the line has been reached anyway. We need new strategies to counter the energy crisis and the climate crisis, but instead TIWAG is planning a mega-project with the expansion of the Kaunertal power plant, which is no longer up to date in view of the climate crisis. It drains the Ötztal valley, accepts a horrendous loss of biodiversity and soil consumption and floods the Platzertal valley. At the same time, our glaciers are already shrinking dramatically, rivers are carrying less water and hydropower plants are losing performance and reliability as a result. WET is calling for a genuine energy transition and is therefore campaigning against the expansion of the Kaunertal power plant.

Now you might say: "They must be kayakers. It's clear that they're campaigning for wild rivers." Why is it important that we stand up for wild rivers?

River ecosystems are the most polluted and overexploited ecosystems in the world and freshwater species are the most threatened with extinction. And if anyone is not interested in the ecological aspects: We need healthy rivers! They provide drinking water, purify wastewater, irrigate pastures and fields and cool their surroundings on hot days. They are home to important ecosystems and provide space for leisure and recreation. Near-natural river landscapes cushion flood events and store water during periods of drought - we need them to adapt to climate change when extreme weather events increase and rainfall becomes more irregular. Interfering massively with the water balance and river ecosystems in this day and age is grossly negligent.

Are outdoor sports enthusiasts predestined to stand up for nature?

Outdoor sports enthusiasts know what is at stake and usually see the consequences of destroying nature. They have a personal connection and a reason to get involved. We are often accused of only campaigning against hydropower because we 'only want to go kayaking. It is exactly the opposite: it is only because we kayak that we see and experience first-hand the effects that hydropower has on rivers. It is only because of this that we know where and how many power stations there already are here that others would not even notice. We can see how the river is changing. Many people don't realize this in everyday life. We know what natural rivers should actually look like and that the Inn, for example, is no longer a river, but rather a dead industrial zone in many places.

How do you think the energy transition can be driven forward in the most environmentally friendly way?

Saving energy. Nobody wants to hear that - but it's now clear to everyone that this planet is limited and we can't go on like this forever. The answer cannot continue to be "more power plants" forever. Saving energy doesn't even mean the individual, but systemic changes, incentives, refurbishment, exploiting energy-saving potential. Renovate existing power plants. The energy transition will not help us if we forget the biodiversity crisis. An environmentally friendly energy transition must go hand in hand with nature conservation and must cause as little land consumption and environmental destruction as possible.

It also makes sense to expand photovoltaic systems and invest in other storage alternatives. What nobody in Tyrol wants to hear: Wind energy definitely has potential here. There are now other options, we no longer have to flood valleys to store electricity in lakes as we did in the 1950s.

How can people get active with you or support you in other ways?

Sign the petition 'Stop expansion of Kaunertal power plant' now: www.wet-tirol.at
Help us to spread the petition!
Follow WET Tirol on social media or subscribe to our newsletter
Become a member or donate to WET- Wildwasser erhalten Tirol!
We have produced a film on the topic: 'To the last drop - Tyrol and hydropower'. Come to the film tour in the coming weeks or contact us if you would like to organize a film screening for your club or similar! info@wet-tirol.at

Thank you for the interview!

You can find more information about the planned power plant project in the Kaunertal at WET.

Anne in the Ötztaler Ache

Ötz Trophy

Anne

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This article has been automatically translated by DeepL with subsequent editing. If you notice any spelling or grammatical errors or if the translation has lost its meaning, please write an e-mail to the editors.

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