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The slope until 2006:
the above-ground penstocks
that brought water to the
main stage in Kaprun.
There’s nothing unusual at
first glance. It almost
looks like a slope
with natural vegetation.
We’re standing in the middle of a line route at
1,200 metres above sea level. We see nothing.
Nothing unusual. Trees, shrubs and little saplings
all around. Our first question is, “Where’s the
penstock?” The four old above-ground penstocks
were dismantled in 2005 before the renaturation
project began. “The goal of renaturation is to
restore the ecosystem, so that in 10–15 years no
one would ever know”, says Günther Töpfer of the
project’s future course.
TAKING IT ALL IN
The power plants, main and upper stage, are an
integral part of Kaprun’s storage power plants.
The initial idea was to generate electricity with
water from the mountains of Kaprun. In 1938,
construction began on the power plant. After 14
years, the main stage and then the upper stage
were ceremoniously opened. The water has to
travel 800 metres down from the valve chamber
at Maiskogel before it reaches the power station
STUDENTS REPORT: RE-NATURATION OF PENSTOKES IN KAPRUN | SUSTAINABILITY REPORT 2009 | 33
in the valley. There were four above-ground
penstocks that were placed on concrete blocks
at regular intervals. During routine inspections,
technical defects were found in the penstocks and
their welded seams. The reason for the technical
problem was that the steel production and the
seams had been done during and shortly after the
war, so the quality was less than optimal. For that
reason, the remaining operational time of these
penstocks was set for 2003. As a replacement, an
underground inclined shaft was built in 2004.
The advantage of a pressure shaft is that the
water pressure is handled by the mountain, so
thinner pipes can be used. After completion of the
inclined shaft in 2004, work immediately began on
dismantling the above-ground penstocks and renaturation
of the route.
AT A GLANCE AND IN DETAIL
As we look up at the sky, the sun takes a quick
peek out from the clouds, blinding us. We search