InformatIon brochure | status 08/2014Gemeinschaftskraftwerk inn

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table of contents

Gemeinschaftskraftwerk Inn .......................................................................4-8

Backwater Area and Weir System ..................................................................6

Mining Tunnels ................................................................................................7

Powerhouse .....................................................................................................8

Modern Construction-Site Management...................................................9-12

On-Site Production ..........................................................................................9

Quiet and Dust-Free Transport to the Storage Area .....................................10

Protecting People and the Environment .......................................................11

Improving the Ecological Condition of the Inn .............................................12

Operational Management and Safety .......................................................13

Timetable ..........................................................................................................14

Contact and Service Point .............................................................................15

LeGaL nOTICe

Publisher: Gemeinschaftskraftwerk Inn GmbH, Innstraße 52, 6500 Landeck, Tel.:+43 (0)50607-21744, www.gemeinschaftskraftwerk-inn.com,

Email: info@gemeinschaftskraftwerk-inn.com, Innsbruck District Court (FN 277806 p), VAT ID: ATU 62525529

Text & design: P8 GmbH, Sparkassenplatz 2, 6020 Innsbruck

Picture credits: GKI, Gappmaier, Pfennig, Shutterstock

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Dear readers! The joint-venture power generating plant Gemeinschaftskraftwerk Inn (GKI) in the Upper Inn region at the Swiss-Austrian

border represents the largest new construction of a hydroelectric power plant in the Alpine region in this millennium. The

generating plant has undergone a comprehensive examination in both Austria and Switzerland. Following the completion

of its four-year construction phase (2014 – 2018), it will generate 400 gigawatt hours annually by using hydropower, a

renewable and domestic source of energy. This joint-venture power generating plant situated between the Swiss mu-

nicipality Valsot and the Austrian municipality Prutz, will be a milestone on the way to Tyrol‘s power autonomy, it will

significantly contribute towards achieving the goals of the European Energy Strategy and supports the conversion of the

energy industry to CO2 neutral and renewable energy generation.

The first plans for a power generating plant on the Upper Inn already existed in the 1920s. Since the project has been

taken up again by the shareholders of GKI – TIWAG, VERBUND and Engadiner Kraftwerke – a lot has happened. Our

idea has developed into a flagship project which has been further optimised several times and meets the highest environ-

mental standards and criteria. This development has been made possible by a comprehensive dialogue which took place

with the people of Oberes Gericht and Engadin and the many experts and planners involved. We would like to warmly

thank everyone involved and affirm a continued cooperation throughout the implementation.

The Gemeinschaftskraftwerk Inn is a project with many advantages. We will present these on the following pages. The

construction of GKI is going to make a significant contribution to the further use of the domestic renewable resource of

hydropower, and thus, to energy autonomy, which has been aspired to for such a long time, as well as to the reduction of

CO2 emissions. However, the GKI will not only provide significant advantages in terms of the environment and the energy

industry. It is the largest single investment made in the Oberland region of Tyrol in recent decades. Its construction and

operation means an important economic impulse for the region – in the form of employment, value added and industrial

development.

We are proud to be able to construct this milestone in environmentally-friendly power generation for Tyrol and the Engadin.

The GKI-Management

DI Johann Herdina, DI Peter Loidl, DI Michael Roth

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Gemeinschaftskraftwerk inn:environmentally friendly, sustainable and cross-BorderHydropower has been used for pro-

ducing clean energy on the Upper Inn

since the 1950s. The Pradella-Martina

and Prutz-Imst Power Plants consti-

tute a “power plant chain” of which

the Gemeinschaftskraftwerk Inn will

become a link after its completion in

2018.

The joint-venture power genera-

ting plant Gemeinschaftskraftwerk

Inn (GKI) in the Upper Inn region at

the Swiss-Austrian border represents

a unique cross-border hydroelectric

power plant project. The largest part

of the power plant is built under-

ground and it will stretch from the

Martina district of the Swiss municip-

ality of Valsot across seven municipal-

ities in the Tyrolean region of Oberes

Gericht. The Gemeinschaftskraftwerk

Inn consists of three main elements:

a backwater area and weir system, a

pressure tunnel and a powerhouse.

In the border region between Mar-

tina and Nauders, a weir system with

a 15 m high weir for water collection

will be constructed. From the dammed

water, up to 75 m3/s will be conveyed

along the 23.2 km long pressure tun-

nel. This tunnel ends in the pressure

shaft which leads to the turbines in

the powerhouse in Prutz/Ried. The two

machine units located there, each con-

sisting of a Francis turbine and a gener-

ator, produce environmentally friendly

electricity. The water that is used in the

process then flows through the under-

ground channel back into the Inn.

GEMEINSCHAFTSKRAFTWERK INN

environmental Information:

In comparison to a modern coal-fired

power plant, GKI annually saves

•322,000 tons of carbon dioxide (CO2)

•168 tons of sulphur dioxide (SO2)

•180 tons of nitrogen oxide (NOx)

•8 tons of dust

Fact box

GKI - generating jobs and investment

GKI GmbH is investing around €461

million in the construction of the

Gemeinschaftskraftwerk Inn. The result

of this significant investment is a total

value added for the wider economy

which is far in excess of the actual in-

vestment volume. The regions benefit

greatly during the construction phase.

Up to 400 professionals will be em-

ployed, they will live, shop as well as use

the local amenities and restaurants in the

region. The local municipalities will also

profit from the additional tax income.

Pradella-Martina Power PlantInstalled capacity: 72 MWAnnual generation: 276 GWhGross head: 114 m

”THE GKI MASSIVELY REDUCES THE CURRENT NECESSITY

FOR TYROL TO IMPORT ELECTRICITY FOR THE

DOMESTIC SUPPLY”

5

One Project – many advantagesClean energy from hydropower

The generation of electricity in GKI takes

place without the emission of pollu tants.

The GKI not only uses the available po-

tential of hydropower as a renew able

energy source in order to generate

CO2-free electricity, but at the same time

also reduces the dependence on im-

ports of electricity generated from fossil

and nuclear fuels.

Dynamic Residual Water Model

In the summer months the dynamic re-

sidual water model guarantees a natural

drainage behaviour of the Inn. This special

model that has been developed by experts

regulates the release of residual water at

the weir. The water-level of the Inn near

St. Moritz in Switzerland is not influenced

and is used as the reference for the release

volume. The more water flows past the

measurement point there, the more is re-

leased at the weir in Ovella. Even on dry

summer days, the GKI guarantees a min-

imum discharge volume of 10 m3/s.

Natural habitat thanks to

surge protection

The current surge situation in the Inn river

with discharge deviations of up to 1:30

between the minimum and maximum

flow-rate prevents the positive devel-

opment of the body of water between

Martina and Prutz. With the help of the

new backwater area and the weir struc-

ture, the GKI absorbs this surge almost

completely and ensures a steady water

release.

Minimum water discharge sup-

ports the development of aquatic

creatures living in the river

The construction of the GKI will signi-

ficantly improve the situation of the fish

and the microorganisms living in the

Inn. The GKI guarantees a minimum

discharge of at least 5.5 m3/s in the eco-

logically sensitive winter months. This

allows the fish and the microorganisms

to develop without being disturbed in

their winter dormancy phase.

GEMEINSCHAFTSKRAFTWERK INN

“THE REDUCTION OF THE SURGE MEANS A SIGNIFICANT

ECOLOGICAL IMPROVEMENT FOR THE INN.”

Imst Power Plant

Installed capacity: 89.5 MW

Annual generation: 550 GWh

Gross head: 143.5 m

Gemeinschaftskraftwerk Inn• Installed capacity: 89 MW

• Annual generation: around 414 GWh (subject to optimisation)

• Flow-rate of the generating plant: maximum 75 m3/s

• Surface of the water catchment area: 1,960 km2

• Investment volume: around €461 million

• Gross head: 160.7 m

6 GEMEINSCHAFTSKRAFTWERK INN

Backwater area and weir systemA core part of the Gemeinschaftskraft-

werk Inn is the weir system. It dams the

Inn along a length of roughly 2.6 km in

the Austrian-Swiss border region. The

entrance to the pressure tunnel is loc-

ated at the orographic right side of the

weir system. A maximum of 75 m3/s of

water for electricity production is con-

veyed from the backwater area along

the headrace channel and the inclined

shaft to the powerhouse. During the

winter and in the weeks before and after

winter, a constant, ecologically adapted

minimum acceptable flow is released.

In the summer season, the dynamic

residual water model requires the ad-

aptation of the residual flow to the nat-

ural tributaries of the Inn. This water is

also used in an economically sensible

manner: an additional separate turbine

at the weir generates 7.84  GWh of

electricity.

Backwater area Data:

• Length: around 2.6 km

•Water depth: maximum 15 m

• Effective usable volumes: 500,000 m3

• Flow-rate: maximum 75 m3/s

Fact box

This is how we build the weir system

From 2018, the Inn will be dammed at Ovella and up to 75 m3 of water per second will be direc-ted into the tunnels. A fish pass allows fish to cross the weir system.

Even before construction begins, the entire

area of the weir system is secured with seven

rock fall protection nets, some of which have

a length of up to a few hundred metres. The

subsequent construction of the weir system

is then carried out in the wet-construction

method. In concrete terms, this entails the Inn

being diverted for limited sections depending

on the construction phase in order to create

“dry areas” for the construction work. The

weir is the first structure created. The Inn is

then directed through the completed weir in

order to drain the orographic right side. The

headrace entrance, the fish pass and the op-

eration building are constructed there and,

thus, the weir system complex is completed.

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through the Undergroundtunnel to the turbineThe water flows from the weir sys-

tem in Ovella to the powerhouse in

Prutz/Ried through a 23.2  km long

pressure tunnel. This tunnel goes

through the mountain on the oro-

graphic right side of the valley at a

depth of approx. 130 m to 1.200 m,

depending on the topography. There

is only limited pressure in the pressure

tunnel, comparable to the pressure

in a normal household water-supply

pipe. This pressure increases to about

16 bar in the steeply falling and rein-

forced inclined shaft. The water then

hits the turbines in the powerhouse

and drives them.

GEMEINSCHAFTSKRAFTWERK INN

The view into the tunnel: The water flows through the mountain to the powerhouse along a distance of 23.2 km. Concrete segments produced on-site from reinforced concrete secure the head-race waterway.

Maria Stein: Starting point of tunnelling operations

Key Data on the Tunnel:

•Headrace channel length: 23.2 km

•Diameter of the the tunnel:

approx. 5.8 m

• Number of segments incorporated:

approx. 50,000

•Gross head: 160.7 m

• Diameter of the inclined shaft: 3.8 m

Fact box

The starting point of the tunnel is the

access tunnel in Maria Stein. The actual

12.7 km head-race tunnel is then milled

in the direction of the weir system

and around 8.9 km in the direction of

the powerhouse by tunnel boring ma-

chines. At the weir system in Ovella and

the powerhouse in Prutz/Ried, drilling

is also carried out from the other side.

The inside of the tunnels are lined and

secured with reinforced-concrete seg-

ments. In total, approximately 1  mil-

lion m3 of rock are excavated from the

mountain.

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Powerhouse:the energetic core

GEMEINSCHAFTSKRAFTWERK INN

The Prutz/Ried powerhouse is the core

part of the Gemeinschaftskraftwerk

Inn. With two Francis turbines it gen-

erates electricity from hydropower. This

electricity is then conveyed via an un-

derground cable to the neighbouring

transformer station of the Kaunertal

power plant and from there it is fed

into the public grid. The water flows

along an underground channel back

into the Inn.

888.37

m.a.s.l.

867.00

869.07

846.08

873.85874.70

863.80865.50

883.87883.87

856.90

0 1 2 3 4 5 10m

High-Pressure Grout Curtain

Indoor Crane

Turbine Axis

High-Pressure Grout Curtain

Tailrace Channel

Anchor

Concrete Slab

2 Turbines

Generator

Current Terrain

State Road

Distribution Pipe

Horizontal Section

Prutz/Ried Powerhouse

Transformer

Underground electricity generation

The powerhouse is barely visible from the

outside. A mere 4.5 m of the buil ding is

above the level of the surrounding ter-

rain. The vast majority of the technical

equipment – such as, for example, the

turbines and generators – are installed

underground at a depth of around 26 m.

This type of construction offers the

advantage that it only has a minimum

impact on landscape and also operates

very quietly.

An interesting detail of the powerhouse

is the integrated crane with a span width

of 21  m in the machine hall. With the

help of the crane, the turbines and gen-

erators are lifted into their anchorings

and taken out for servicing work.

9MODERN CONSTRUCTION-SITE MANAGEMENT

On-site ProductionAt the construction site in Maria Stein,

the concrete segments are produced

in a production facility set-up for this

purpose. The facility will be located dir-

ectly next to the entrance of the access

tunnel. This makes the transport of these

reinforced concrete segments on public

roads redundant. The reinforced con-

crete segments produced on-site will be

used to line the pressure tunnel.

“THE PRODUCTION OF THE REINFORCED CONCRETE

SEGMENTS WILL TAKE PLACE DIRECTLY ON-SITE AND WILL NOT

CAUSE NOISE POLLUTION BE-CAUSE A HALL TO HOUSE

THE FACILITY WILL BE CONSTRUCTED.”

The area around the powerhouse is designed to merge with the sur-rounding nature. Little hills and hollows and a pond with a surface area of 240 m2 will be created.

Reusing excavated material

During the excavation work for the weir

system and the powerhouse, but in par-

ticular when digging the tunnel, a total

of roughly 1 million m3 of material will be

excavated from the mountain. To avoid

transporting this material with lorries,

a sophisticated recycling and storage

concept will be applied. All excavated

material which is suitable for the manu-

facture of concrete will be used directly

on-site in the production facility in Maria

Stein for the production of the concrete

segments. Material that is not suitable will

be transported on conveyor belts to the

near-by storage area.

10 MODERN CONSTRUCTION-SITE MANAGEMENT

Before and after: After the construction has been completed, the storage area will be integrated into the surrounding landscape and used for agriculture.

Quiet and Dust-free transportto the storage areaThe vast majority of the material ex-

cavated from the tunnels will be stored

near Maria Stein and Schönegg. This

material will be predominantly trans-

ported on conveyor belts from the

access tunnel to the near-by storage

area in order to minimise transport

with heavy machinery. The modern

conveyor-belt system is constructed

in such a way that it runs as quietly

as possible during construction op-

erations. A further advantage is the

efficient dust reduction resulting from

the fact that the excavated material

will be transported directly from the

tunnels to the storage area.

Renaturation of the storage area

An important aspect when storing

the excavated material is the natural

integration of the storage area into the

surrounding landscape and the possibil-

ity to return the area to agricultural use

after the completion of the construction

work. For this reason,the fertile top soil

is removed and stored so it can be put

back in place following completion of

the construction work. Subsequently,

the area that had been covered by the

storage area will be replanted in order to

be integrated as well as possible into the

landscape. Afterwards, the agricultural

use of the area will be possible to the

same extent as before.

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Protecting People and the environmentRight from the planning phase, we have

attached great importance to being as

considerate as possible with respect to all

areas and aspects of the construction. In

the area of the powerhouse construction

site – the only area where work is carried

out in a densely populated area – the

vegetation around the school complex

will remain untouched and, in addition

to this natural barrier, a noise protection

wall between the construction site and

the school will be built. At the exit of the

construction site, a tyre-washing sys-

tem will also be put in place in order to

wash the tyres of the construction ma-

chinery and vehicles as they leave. Thanks

to these and further measures the strict

requirements stipulated by the environ-

mental impact assessment are fulfilled.

A large number of experts and the au-

thority constantly check the compliance

with all regulations and limit values and,

thus, ensure that the project is imple-

mented as considerately as possible.

MODERN CONSTRUCTION-SITE MANAGEMENT

Undisturbed learning: Before the construction of the GKI began, a modern ventilation system was installed in the Prutz-Ried New Secondary School. This allows fresh air supply and optimal air-conditioning of the classrooms without the windows needing to be opened.

ensuring free fish migration

In order to ensure that fish can pass the

weir system when swimming up and

down the river, a fish pass has been

integrated on the orographic right-hand

side of the weir system in cooperation with

experts. The fish can pass the weir system

upstream by means of 81 pools that are

arranged as steps. Downstream, the fish

can pass the weir system by means of

a downstream migration facility.

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improving the ecological condition of the innWith the implementation of the GKI

and the resulting reduction of the

surge, the ecological condition of the

Inn and its banks will be improved.

Further ecological optimisations of

the Inn are achieved thanks to the ad-

ditional compensation measures and

the ecological restorations.

All areas used during the construction

will generally be greened with plants,

grass and woodland after the project

has been completed. Beyond that,

we will also implement various

measures which will improve the Inn

as a natural habitat. Example of this

are the creation of natural habitats

in Maria Stein or the widening of the

Inn‘s river bed at various points, where

gravel banks and islands will be set up

that will act as stream breakers and

riverside woodland will be planted. The

implementation of the compensation

measures as well as the ecological

restoration will be monitored by the

independent ecological construction

supervisory authority.

MODERN CONSTRUCTION-SITE MANAGEMENT

“WITH THE CONSTRUCTION OF THE GEMEINSCHAFTSKRAFT-

WERK INN, THE ECOLOGY OF THE INN RIVER APPROACHES

AN ALMOST COMPLETELY NATURAL CONDITION.”

a biotope for Maria Stein

Overview

Compensation Measures:

• Backwater area design in Martina

• Biotope in Maria Stein

• Planting of plants and grass

near the powerhouse

• Reforesting the Inn canyon

•Widening of the river banks and

construction of gravel banks along

the Inn

• Ensuring that fish can pass the

tributary inlets into the Inn

Fact box

In Maria Stein, a large natural habitat will

be created once the construction work

has been completed. The open gravel

areas, reeded zones and marsh areas

will provide a variety of different types

of natural habitats with permanent and

temporary bodies of water. Fish and small

animals will find a suitable habitat there.

The area surrounding the natural habitat

will be completely reforested and diverse

riverside floodplains created as a result.

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24-hour monitoring

The operation of the GKI is fully auto-

mated and monitored and controlled

remotely around the clock from the

constantly manned control centre. All

measured values and operating messa-

ges are transmitted to the technicians

manning the control centres and are at

the same time recorded by the central

computer. In addition to that, all the

relevant areas of the power plant can

be monitored in real-time thanks to the

most modern monitoring systems.

The GKI is equipped with the most

high-tech security systems which corre-

spond to state-of-the-art standards. In

the project planning phase, all possible

events which could occur were ana-

lysed and simulated. The GKI structure

was then designed to be capable of

withstanding all potential events and

dealing sufficiently with their conse-

quences. Seals and the safety equip-

ment in particular – such as a pipe-burst

hatch – have been installed in order to

prevent water flowing out.

OPERATIONAL MANAGEMENT AND SAFETY

Complete 24-hour monitoring: Highly-qualified technicians monitor and control the fully-automated GKI.

“ALL THE IMPORTANT AREAS OF THE GEMEINSCHAFTS- KRAFTWERK INN CAN BE

MONITORED IN REAL-TIME THANKS TO EXTENSIVE

MONITORING SYSTEMS.”

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2014 2015 2016 2017 2018

TIMETABLE

timetable

Maria Stein

Excavation of the access tunnel at the surge tank

Construction of the upper chamber

Excavation of the inclined shaft

Construction of the powerhouse

Excavation of the underwater channel

Technology and installations

Reinforcement of the inclined shaft

Prutz

Ovella

With the building decision made by

the shareholders of the Gemeinsch-

aftskraftwerk Inn GmbH, full con-

struction began on the three con-

struction sites in Ovella, Maria Stein

and Prutz in the summer of 2014.

A few months before, preparatory

work measures had already started:

rocks were secured, vegetation cleared

and building site facilities for the

Gemeinschaftskraftwerk Inn prepared.

In accordance with the timetable, all

elements of the power plant should

be completed by the middle of 2018

and ready for test operation. Follow-

ing the test operation, which will

take a number of months, the regu-

lar operation will commence once the

correct functioning and operation of

all machines and mechanical elements

of the power plant have been checked

and confirmed. From this point-in-

time, the Gemeinschaftskraftwerk Inn

will feed-in clean electricity produced

from domestic hydropower via the

Kaunertal power plant‘s transformer

station into the public grid.

Construction of the weir

Technology and installations

Construction of the reserved flow power plant and the pressure tunnel entrance

Construction of the access tunnel

Sealing and finishing of the tunnel

Excavation of the tunnel towards Ovella

Excavation of the tunnel towards Prutz

15

iCONTACT AND SERVICE POINT

The direct connection to GKI: Questions, requests and complaints, if these should arise, can be directed to the contact and service point of GKI.

Questions? requests?complaints?Providing local residents as well as

the interested people with constant

and transparent information is of

importance to us. The possibility to

communicate directly with those

responsible for the power plant is

ensured by the contact and service

point set up for this very purpose.

You can direct your questions, re-

quests or even complaints to the

contact point during its normal

office hours on weekdays from

9:00 am to 5:00 pm. Following an

immediate reply, improvement mea-

sures will be instigated if necessary.

The contact point can be contacted

via its own information line or under

the following e-mail address.

info@gemeinschaftskraftwerk-inn.com

+43 664 8264770

+41 81 851 4313

[aUt]

[ch]

www.gemeinschaftskraftwerk-inn.com

CH

B180

Schmalzkopf2,724 m

Piz Mundin3,146 m

NaudererHennesiglspitze

3,042 m

Pfroslkopf3,148 m

Piz Lat2,808 m

Zirmesspitze2,944 m

Ovella Weir and BackwaterMax. Operating Level 1,029.50 mMin. Operating Level 1,025.50 m

Surge Tank

Apparatus Chamber

Pressure TunnelInner ∅ = ca. 5.8 m

Turbine Axis 863.80 m.a.s.l.

Tailrace ChannelLength = 300 m

Maria Stein Access Tunnel Pfunds

Prutz/Ried PowerhouseInclined Shaft,ArmouredInner ∅ = 3.8 mLength = 415.7 m

Access Tunnel

Ob

er

in

n

t

al

Inn

Horizontal SectionInner ∅ = 3.8 mLength = 40.3 m

Distribution PipeReturn Building

Ried

Tösens

Fiss1,483 m

Serfaus1,429 m

876 m

930 m

970 m

Maria Stein

Schuls, Davos

Landeck, Innsbruck

Nauders, Reschenpass

1,059.80 m

967.00 m

Prutz

Fendels1,352 m

Gfrans

Gschwendtbach

Gstals

Leiten

Frauns

Fisser Höfe

Ladis

St. Christina940 m

Steinbrücken

Breithaslach

Tösener Bach

Freitsberg

Boden

Schönegg

Badeteich

Prutz-Ried Secondary School

Urgenebner Bach

Resc

he

n Main

Road

Christiner Bach

Radurschlbach

Breithaslachbach

Beutelbach

Argebach

Kaunertal Power Plant

Substation

A u s t r i a S w i t z e r l a n d

a project of: