More than 22,000 people demand halt to Austrian hydropower project

Posted on 3 June 2020

Petition to stop Trumpen-Habichen plant handed over to Tyrol politicians

Thursday June 4 Update: During the handover ceremony (see below), Deputy Governor Josef Geisler insulted one of the WWF officials, calling her a "disgusting hussy".

WWF has demanded an apology for this misogynist remark that was captured on video.

"Such insults have no place in politics. If Josef Geisler doesn't realize his mistake, he should resign. This is no way for an official to deal with people who are quite correctly and legally pointing out the negative consequences of hydroelectric power plants on our rivers," said WWF-Austria Country Director Andrea Johanides.

"The Tyrolean government should finally change its misguided nature conservation policy instead of denigrating legitimate protests against hydropower," added Johanides.

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Wednesday June 3 - At a rally in Innsbruck on Wednesday, an alliance of communities and conservationists demonstrated against the Tumpen-Habichen power plant in Austria and called for an immediate halt to its construction, which was begun during Covid-19 lockdown and under a cloud of controversy.

A petition with more than 22,800 signatures calling for construction to be halted was handed over today by WWF Austria, "Wildwasser erhalten Tirol" and the citizens' initiative against the Tumpen hydropower plant to Deputy Governor Ingrid Felipe and Deputy Governor Josef Geisler.

"We have been criticising this hydropower project for 12 years and then in mid-March during Covid-19 lockdown the excavators simply raid the site. It is a real scandal that our river and our nature were dug up while we were not allowed to leave our community boundaries, let alone demonstrate publicly," said Alfred Kuen from the local citizens' initiative against the Tumpen hydroelectric power plant.

"We hope that this widely supported petition will persuade the state government to finally take the concerns of the population seriously and stop the Tumpen-Habichen power plant once and for all."

The petition shows how many people are opposed to the construction of this destructive hydropower project. It also shows that the Tyrolean state government must listen to the concerns of local communities and conservationists and halt this project immediately so as to protect Tyrol’s largest remaining free flowing river.

The new hydropower development also contradicts three EU Directives – the Water Framework, Birds and Habitats Directives.

"For relatively little energy output, this project would destroy an incomparable local recreation area and a unique stretch of white water in the middle of pristine nature,” said Marieke Vogt from Wildwasser Erhalten Tirol (WET), who initiated the petition.

"Contrary to what the power plant operators claim, a world-famous former kayak world championship course would be destroyed by the construction. The popular Ötztaler Ache river below the power plant would only be navigable at the risk of one's life,” added Vogt.

"Tyrol's nature conservation policy urgently needs to change direction. The state must stop this scandalous construction and guarantee serious procedures in the future. Our nature deserves more protection and respect,” said Marianne Götsch, WWF-Austria.

"The Ötztaler Ache is worthy of full protection: the province of Tyrol itself has classified it as unique. Therefore, the construction of this hydropower plant is a devastating signal, especially in view of the accelerating, massive extinction of species," added Götsch, before highlighting a recent BOKU study, which shows that 60 percent of native fish species in rivers are already endangered.

"Contrary to what politicians claim, the destruction of our last pristine, free flowing rivers is not in the public interest, but short-sighted and irresponsible. Keeping the Ötztaler Ache free flowing is better for people and nature – now and in the future.”

Keeping rivers free flowing is a key component of WWF's Living European Rivers initiative.

This project in Austria is part of a worrying European trend, with a boom in new hydropower developments, especially small hydropower, in many countries. There are currently more than 8,700 hydropower plants planned or under construction in Europe – more than a quarter of the planned plants are in protected areas.

Handing over petition to stop hydropower project to government of Tyrol province Austria

Construction of hydropower project in Austria during coronavirus crisis

Living European Rivers initiative Protect Water campaign