Electricity pulses through the heart of Vienna. This very heart is the Kraftwerk Freudenau. It stands as Austria’s and Bavaria’s largest hydropower producer.
Kraftwerk Freudenau harnesses the Danube’s power. Construction began in 1992. It concluded in 1998. The power plant became fully operational in 1999. It represents the tenth and last of Austria’s Danube power plants.
The power plant’s construction followed a public vote. Viennese residents overwhelmingly supported its creation in May 1991. This support paved the way for the Österreichische Donaukraftwerke AG to proceed. Wien Energie holds 12.5 percent of the power plant’s electricity rights.
Tragedy struck during construction. In October 1996, the Slovakian barge Čumbier was caught in strong currents during floods. It crashed into one of the weir fields. Eight sailors perished. A memorial plaque stands on the power plant’s pedestrian bridge. It commemorates this accident.
The Kraftwerk Freudenau uses a dam. It raises the Danube’s water level by 8.6 meters. The reservoir holds approximately 55 million cubic meters of water. The water reaches a height of 161.35 meters above sea level.
Two locks sit on the dam’s right end. Each lock measures 275 meters long and 24 meters wide. Four weir fields, each 24 meters wide, are located on the dam’s left end.
Pedestrians and cyclists use Kraftwerk Freudenau as a Danube bridge. It forms a crossing over the Danube. The power plant links to the Donauinsel.
Inside the powerhouse, six machine sets generate electricity. These sets power the public grid. Each set includes a Kaplan tubular turbine and a synchronous generator. Each turbine has a 7.5-meter diameter.
Each turbine has a capacity of 30.3 MW. The turbines rotate at 65.2 revolutions per minute. Each turbine processes 500 cubic meters of water per second. The six generators produce 32 MVA each. The Kraftwerk Freudenau has a total capacity of 172 MW. Power is fed into the nearby Kaiserebersdorf substation.
The Kraftwerk Freudenau generates 1,052 million kWh annually. This equals about 1.85% of Austria’s total electricity production.
The power plant stopped the Danube from digging deeper into its riverbed. The Alte Donau and Lobau waterways now receive sufficient water. This has reduced natural groundwater fluctuations.
A bypass stream on Donauinsel allows fish migration.
The Stromhaus is an information center. It teaches about electricity and the Vienna power plant. Exhibits include videos, computer games, and models.
Kraftwerk Freudenau produces clean energy. It supplies half of Vienna’s households with electricity. Over 14,000 boats pass through the power plant’s locks annually. The locks lift boats by 10 meters. The lifting process takes about 20 minutes.
VERBUND-Kraftwerk Wien-Freudenau is Europe’s largest urban power plant. It was the first Danube power plant with a fish migration aid. The Kraftwerk Freudenau generates a billion kilowatt-hours of electricity from hydropower each year.
Guided tours provide insight. These tours often include a film about the power plant’s creation in 1998. Tours may also visit turbines and a control room. This control room sits 32 meters below the Danube’s surface.