This year less electricity from hydropower due to drought

According to the nationwide electricity company Verbund, the current spring is one of the five driest in the past 100 years. However, the electricity industry reassures: "We currently see no reason for alarm," said a spokesperson for the Austrian Energy Association to the APA.

This year, Verbund's hydropower generation has so far amounted to 80 percent of the long-term average. "This is within the long-term fluctuation range, but it is one of the 5 driest springs in the past 100 years," a spokesperson wrote in response to an APA inquiry. However, less water does not mean a proportional decrease in electricity production, as the yield is also significantly influenced by the head at the respective power plant. With lower water flow, the water level below the power plants also decreases, "which means more height difference between the upper and lower water levels and thus more head. This mitigates the energy production loss," according to Verbund.

Climate Change Brings More Frequent Extreme Weather Events

In general, a shift in production is being observed. "Human-induced global warming brings more frequent extreme events such as drought and heavy rain," wrote the electricity company. Currently, the electricity gap is being covered by pumped storage, gas power plants, and imports. According to Verbund, an increased expansion of wind power could reduce dependency on imports in the spring in the future.

Austria's Energy Association also sees no reason for concern at present, as water flow is subject to natural fluctuations. According to the regulatory authority E-Control, the production coefficient of run-of-river power plants was 0.98 in January and 0.86 in February, with a value of 1 marking the long-term average. Data for March is currently not available. Austria's Energy Association also fundamentally sees seasonal shifts in precipitation and water flow and points to more frequent extreme weather events due to climate change. Overall, however, the amount of water in the country has remained stable in recent years.

Water Flow Regionally Very Different

The dry period also affects the hydropower generation of Wien Energie, "however, we cannot make a general statement here, as our hydropower plants are distributed in very different locations across Austria," said a spokesperson in response to an APA inquiry. Accordingly, there are power plants whose production currently deviates little from the previous year's value, and others with larger fluctuations. The past year 2024 was also a particularly good year for hydropower.

The low precipitation in the winter months of 2024/25 compared to previous years was also reflected in Lower Austria's hydropower generation - especially in comparison to 2023/24, when there was exceptionally good water flow, reported the listed energy supplier EVN. "In some months, production was up to 50 percent below the expected amount," it was stated. The issue of dryness is of great importance to EVN not only as a hydropower producer but also as Austria's second-largest drinking water supplier. "Currently, the water levels in our well fields are stable, and we feel well-prepared for the summer," it was emphasized.

Compensation Through Storage Power Plants or Electricity Import

The state-owned Tyrolean energy provider Tiwag, which operates hydroelectric power plants throughout the state, reported "below-average flows, especially on the Inn in the Unterland" for North Tyrol. There, electricity production is "below the long-term averages." In East Tyrol, the situation seems to be more favorable, with both flows and electricity production "at the long-term average." Overall, the inflows usable for electricity production are about ten percent below the long-term averages - which is immediately noticeable in the run-of-river power plants. If run-of-river power plants produce less electricity than needed, the missing energy quantities must either be compensated by increased production in other power plants, such as large storage power plants, "or imports from the European interconnected grid," it was stated to APA. Tiwag also noted that "fluctuations in electricity production due to fluctuating flows are not unusual."

The lack of precipitation in Vorarlberg since last autumn has led to low water levels in all watercourses and Lake Constance. The Vorarlberg energy provider illwerke vkw quantified the resulting reduction in electricity production at 20 percent compared to an average year. However, even with the current value, they are within the "long-term fluctuation range," it was stated in response to an APA inquiry. The energy supply is certainly secured, and the demand can be covered at any time by purchases on the electricity market.

More Water with the Onset of Snowmelt

In Salzburg, the current water flow and thus the production of hydroelectric power plants have been about one-fifth below the planned value since the beginning of the year, as the energy provider Salzburg AG informed in response to an APA inquiry. The past weeks have brought a bit more snow to the mountains, which will have a positive effect on the water flow at the beginning of the snowmelt. The water flow of the Salzach in Salzburg is currently at its lowest level since 1990. Until mid-March, Salzburg AG was largely able to compensate for the low water level with storage production; since then, electricity has been purchased on the market, it was stated. Statistically, they are within the range of long-term observations, but in the lower range. However, the persistence of the dry period suggests climate change influences.

At the Upper Austrian Energie AG, electricity production is currently slightly declining compared to the long-term average due to the drought. "In the current fiscal year, the deviation is about 10 percent," wrote a spokeswoman in response to an APA inquiry, referring to the natural fluctuation range. The security of supply is certainly not at risk. "In the longer retrospective, we see that the amount of water has not changed significantly - but there are temporal shifts."

In Carinthia, the drought currently has no major impact: "The water flow in the Kelag area is currently at 99 percent, so at the average," Josef Stocker, press spokesman for the Carinthian state energy provider Kelag, stated in response to an APA inquiry. However, because there is very little snow on the mountains this year, it is expected that the snowmelt in May and June will be less, which would mean less electricity production from hydropower. A wet spring could have a compensating effect here.

(APA/Red)

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