New book published on the Jettenbach-Töging power plant: Heritage and future of a masterpiece

2024 marks the start of a new era for the more than 100-year-old Jettenbach-Töging power plant. The inauguration of the weir system in Jettenbach marks the completion of the largest hydropower construction site in Germany. VERBUND has invested around 250 million euros in modernising the oldest power plant on the Inn, thus continuing the technical success story.

This milestone deserves to be honoured in the form of a comprehensive publication. On 370 pages, 25 authors from a wide range of disciplines shed light on the heritage and future of a masterpiece – accompanied by a multitude of spectacular images from the past and present.

The first part looks back: to the beginnings of hydropower on the Inn, to the planning of the canal power plant, to the adventurous construction, from today’s perspective, between the end of the First World War and the period of hyperinflation. The focus here is not only on the astonishing facts and figures of the historic facility, but also on the social and economic developments that were unleashed by its construction and operation. These have characterised the towns and communities of the region for over a century and continue to do so even now, extending into the stories of the people who live and work here.

The history of the old Inn power plant includes curious details such as the lack of beer during the construction period or the insufficient flow rate of the water due to mosquito larvae on the canal walls. Readers can find out why one of the first international women’s football matches could only take place thanks to Innwerk AG (incidentally between Germany and Austria), and also explore the menu that Innwerk, Bayerische Aluminium AG had served at the opening ceremony in 1925. The later operators of the facility are also presented – with a special focus on the year 2009, when VERBUND, the hydropower specialist and largest electricity generator in Austria, acquired the 13 power plants on the Bavarian Inn after an exciting bidding process. Contemporary witnesses report on the course of this economic history.

The second part of the book deals with the renovation and efficiency increase of the power plant. Between autumn 2018 and the end of 2022, VERBUND erected a second once-in-a-century structure in Töging. The parallels to the past: once again the effort was enormous, once again the time pressure was enormous, once again the construction technology was and remains the best of its time. Planners and engineers describe the nature and scope of the project, explain the construction processes and reveal how the efficient Kaplan turbines operate. Also an integral part of sustainable energy generation and this section are the topics “Ecological accompanying measures” and “Fish protection concept”.

Finally, the people who accompanied the weir, canal and power plant during the construction phase or experience it in their everyday work have their say. How do you manage a project of this size? How do you organise a large construction site during a pandemic? And what’s the story behind the dusky large blue butterfly on the canal embankment? Answers to these and other questions can be found in this part of the book.

Whether you’re interested in history, inspired by technology or simply curious, this book has something for all readers – with two once-in-a-century structures combined in one hydropower plant.

Published by PIPER Verlag Munich
ISBN 978-3-492-07346-2
Price: €38.00