HYDRO
photo credits: VERBUND
VERBUND puts Europe‘s highest fish ladder into operation at the Drava power plant Annabrücke. It allows the fish in the Drava to scale an impressive 26 metres height.
VERBUND PUTS EUROPE‘S HIGHEST FISH LADDER INTO OPERATION
40 years after its construction, the Annabrücke power plant on the river Drava is being upgraded with a brand new fish migration aid. The fish can migrate up and downstream through an elaborate system of 172 small pools. A video system monitors them online.
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ment of biodiversity in our water bodies. Since 2009, we have constructed more than 1,000 fish ladders for the National Water Management Plans, and many new ones are in
the planning or implementation stages. The new fish migration aid in Annabrücke ascends 26 metres in height, making it the tallest in Europe. The Federal Ministry of Agriculture,
The fish can migrate both up and downstream with the help of an elaborate system of 172 small pools.
photo credits: VERBUND
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s Austria‘s largest hydropower operator, we are aware of our responsibility to protect the environment and have been proving that all requirements can be reconciled with top performance for decades. We are implementing long-term plans to improve the ecology of Austria‘s rivers with our partners wherever possible, even in these difficult times. We are setting new standards in Europe with our measures; in 2018 with the longest fish migration aid and now in 2020 with the tallest fish migration aid,“ says Achim Kaspar, the Managing Board member responsible for generation at VERBUND. VERBUND is investing a total of around EUR 280 million in making its more than 130 hydropower plants more ecological, thereby also making a valuable contribution to stimulating the economy. „Habitat creation and linkage is an essential element in the conservation and enhanceMay 2021
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