Ottensheim-Wilhering power station

The Ottensheim-Wilhering power plant stands on the Danube between the Upper Austrian villages of Ottensheim and Wilhering. Built between 1970 and 1974, it is a run-of-river plant that harnesses the river’s flow without creating a large reservoir. The plant sits almost entirely on Ottensheim’s side of the river, though part of the substation lies south of the Danube in Wilhering. Five weir fields and two lock chambers control the water level, while nine Kaplan turbines in the southern machine hall generate electricity. The plant’s ecological design sets it apart. It was the first on the Austrian Danube to use horizontal Kaplan turbines, reducing the building’s height and blending it into the landscape. A 14.2-kilometre bypass waterway allows fish to migrate past the dam, winding through the Brandstätter Danube arm and the Aschach into the Innbach before returning to the river. The calm old arm of the Danube serves as an international regatta course, hosting rowing and kayak competitions regularly. Visitors find a riverside landscape shaped by both industry and nature. The Eferding Basin behind the dam is a popular spot for swimming and leisure activities. The power plant’s southern bank offers views of the turbines and the controlled flow of the Danube. The surrounding area includes floodplains that sometimes fill during high water, as happened in June 2013 when water levels rose above the dam’s crest. The plant’s operation balances energy production with environmental and flood protection needs.