What is decisive – also in relation to the additional costs for the companies – is how the water supply for the power plants is presented over the entire year. Therefore, all suppliers tried to calm down because of the current drought and referred to the snowmelt only really starting and precipitation that had finally been announced. According to the broadcast, up to 25 percent less electricity was generated in March than is usual at this time of year. Producers – much like farmers in agriculture – would prefer longer-lasting, steady and gentle rainfall, which the soil absorbs and then slowly releases again.
In Carinthia, the water flow in the rivers was about 20 percent below the average value, said Manfred Freitag, head of the state energy supplier Kelag: “We haven’t had any rain for two months. The temperatures also play a role – because it is relatively cold, the snow melt has not yet started at higher altitudes.” Nevertheless, the water supply is still within the range of fluctuation: “In the years 2021 and 2020 the water supply was very good in the first quarter, but there were always very dry phases. For example, also in autumn 2021. So the current situation is not unusual.” However, precipitation is urgently needed.
Kelag would have to compensate for the reduced production through acquisitions, but this would not result in any additional costs for customers, Freitag assured. Thanks to these acquisitions, there will also be no supply bottlenecks.
The Upper Austrian provincial supplier Energie AG, which operates 34 run-of-river power plants and 9 storage power plants in Upper Austria and Salzburg, also reports lower electricity generation than the long-term March average. However, the generation values are within the natural range of fluctuation. In March, electricity production in the run-of-river power plants was a quarter below plan, but in January and February it exceeded this benchmark by 25 percent. With the onset of snowmelt, improved water flow is expected in the coming weeks. But precipitation would be desirable.
At Salzburg AG, which operates 31 of its own hydroelectric power plants of various capacities in the state, the power generation was around 20 percent below the planned value due to the drought in March, a company spokeswoman said. This affects both the run-of-river and the pumped-storage power plants. However, if you look at the first three months of the year, you are moving within the normal range compared to previous years. “This does not differ significantly from the production volumes of previous years.”
Naturally, the electricity that was missing in March 2022 also had to be bought in Salzburg. The company did not name the costs for this. As the Salzburg AG spokeswoman emphasized, the supply is and was secured at all times. “In the last few days, generation has increased or is increasing again due to the onset of snowmelt.” In addition, precipitation has been announced for the course of the week. The reservoirs of the annual storage are currently between 15 and 20 percent full and thus correspond to the usual fill levels at this time of year. The daily and weekly memories are more filled.
In Tyrol, the drought has so far not worried those responsible at the state-owned Tyrolean energy supplier Tiwag. “There are neither supply problems nor difficulties,” said CEO Erich Entstrasser to the APA. Although there is currently less production than usual, one can still see this “relaxed”. You have to look at the year as a whole, but it’s still too early for that. If less electricity can be generated, the required energy is bought in. Of course, the costs depend on the market price, but “if we can produce ten percent less electricity over the year, we would have around 30 million euros in additional costs,” he said.
In Styria, Verbund operates 42 hydroelectric power plants, primarily run-of-river power plants on the Mur and Enns, but also storage power plants such as Sölk, Salza or Hieflau, which cover peak demand at the push of a button. The run-of-river power plants, on the other hand, produce electricity all year round and 24 hours a day, whereby the electricity generation does not correlate one-to-one with the water supply. “Currently, electricity generation is below the long-term average, but still within the range of fluctuation, which means that there have been similar phases with low water before,” said a spokesman for the association.
Energie Steiermark, which operates several smaller hydroelectric power plants in addition to the larger power plants in cooperation with Verbund, said that January and February delivered a below-average amount of water in the streams and rivers for energy production. There was talk of 20 to 25 percent, but that is still within the normal range and something like this has happened before.
The decisive factor is that it usually evens out again over the course of the year, which does not mean, however, that a balance is automatically achieved in the event of flooding or other extreme weather conditions. In such cases, the floodgates often have to be opened as a precaution. An even flow of water would be best. Despite the past few weeks of drought, energy production with run-of-river power plants is still the “most reliable and stable” type of electricity production, a spokesman for Energie-Steiermark told APA. In any case, the strategy of further expansion of hydroelectric power plants will be adhered to.
For the large Vorarlberg storage power plants, the current drought only plays a minor role, according to Illwerke/VKW spokesman Andreas Neuhauser when asked by APA. In the case of power plants that are directly dependent on the inflow, such as those in the Bregenzerwald, generation in March was around 20 percent below the standard annual values. The security of supply is guaranteed in any case, said Neuhauser.
EVN in Lower Austria said that hydroelectric power, including generation on the Danube, was “stable”. However, the 70 small hydroelectric power plants produced 7.8 percent less in the current financial year (since the beginning of October) due to the lower amounts of precipitation. According to EVN spokesman Stefan Zach, there are regional differences: “There was little rainfall, but overall we benefit from the even meltwater release.”
Hydropower makes an important contribution to security of supply in Lower Austria. The company’s wind turbines have generated around 16 percent more in the past five months than in the same period.
“There are currently no bottlenecks in the drinking water supply due to the ongoing drought,” Zach continued. EVN Wasser has steadily increased the security of supply in recent years through the construction of supra-regional transport lines and can thus ensure a balance between the regions. “Rainfall would be important to us both as an energy producer and as a water utility. Best would be a few weeks of land rain, ie gentle continuous rain over a longer period, during which the soils are well moistened and the spring and groundwater bodies can regenerate. That would also be important for agriculture.”