The power plant was built between 1970 and 1974 with the financial participation of Energie AG Oberösterreich and Salzburg AG.
For the first time in a Danube power plant in Austria, Kaplan bulb turbines with horizontal shaft were installed instead of the previously used Kaplan turbines with vertical shaft at the Ottensheim-Wilhering power plant. This arrangement of the machine sets enables a lower construction and better integration of the power plant building into the surrounding landscape.
Europe’s longest fish bypass, created by the LIFE+ Network Danube project, has been in operation since 2016.
Europe's largest fish pass at the Danube power plant Ottensheim-Wilhering has a length of more than 14 kilometres. The fish pass was completed in 2016 in the course of the EU project LIFE Network Danube.
| Owner | VERBUND Hydro Power GmbH |
|---|---|
| Operator | VERBUND Hydro Power GmbH |
| Commissioning | 1974 |
| Type | Run-of-river power plant |
| Country | Austria |
| Region | Upper Austria |
| Waters | Danube |
| Output | 179 MW |
| Annual output | 1,153,163 MWh |
| Turbine | Kaplan |
| Connectivity | Fish bypass |
In Ottensheim, VERBUND and its partners, together with support from the EU LIFE+ programme, constructed Europe’s biggest fish bypass to date in a period of just two years: A 14.2 kilometre-long bypass arm via the Innbach-Aschach channel with a seasonally adjusted water supply from the Danube and from the natural drainage dynamics of the tributaries. This bypass channel best meets the high ecological and technical requirements placed on continuity for fish. In addition, the natural design of the channel with deep sections (potholes), fords and bays creates further habitats for fish and other animals.
The bypass arm itself does not lie within a Natura2000 area but is an important link between the Natura2000 areas along the Danube and their tributaries. In addition to the linking of these areas, important stepping stone biotopes are being created which provide important support for interaction between the populations in the protected areas.
