The Leutenberg/Probstzella pumped storage power plant being planned by WSK PULS GmbH, a subsidiary of STRABAG SE, Vienna, has been evaluated by the German state of Thuringia as compatible with regional planning policy. This is the result, announced by the state administrative office, of a regional planning evaluation carried out as part of the regional planning procedure for the project. The decision is contingent on 24 measures that must be observed by WSK PULS as developer. Speaking at a press briefing in Erfurt today (8/25), Martin Ullrich, managing director of WSK PULS and sub-division manager of STRABAG Project Development Infrastructure, expressed his satisfaction with the result of the regional planning procedure: "The state administrative office's positive evaluation encourages us to continue our project of a Green Battery' for the sustainable integration of renewable energy in order to contribute to the success of an environmentally friendly energy supply with wind and solar power. The state's measures for the planned Leutenberg/Probstzella pumped storage power plant are understandable and, from our point of view, realisable."
Project is good investment in future of the region
The mayors of Leutenberg and Probstzella, Robert Geheeb and Sven Mechtold, also welcomed the state's positive evaluation. Geheeb sees the planned pumped storage power plant as "both a good investment for the success of the renewable energy revolution as well as an important impulse for the future sustainability of the entire region. Particularly important for me is that those people most affected by the construction will also benefit especially from the project." As an example of the past positive working relationship between the city of Leutenberg and WSK PULS, Geheeb mentioned the thorough appraisal of the geologic conditions and of the mining history around Schweinbach as well as the support of the city and of the Special Purpose Association for Water Supply and Wastewater Removal for the cities and towns of the Saalfeld-Rudolstadt district with regard to connecting the Schweinbach neighbourhood to the central sewage plant in Leutenberg. According to Geheeb, a corresponding handover point is already available in Hirzbach. WSK PULS managing director and project manager Christian Steinbauer welcomes the mayor's proposal: "According to the current planning status, this involves the infrastructural development of the upper basin necessary for the construction and operation of the facility at Schweinbach."
The mayor of Probstzella, Sven Mechtold, also praised the constructive exchange between his community and project developer WSK PULS: "We have been engaged in a very positive, intense dialogue with the company from the beginning and have discussed several possible compensatory measures in the past few months to achieve further positive effects for our community beyond the construction and operation of the pumped storage power plant," Mechtold says. As an example of a series of measures being reviewed by both sides, Mechtold mentioned the already very detailed proposal for a new sports field in Unterloquitz. "Our plan would be for a new playing field as well as a functional annex to the existing building", Steinbauer said in this regard. WSK PULS is also favourably disposed to the other proposals made by the citizens and representatives of Leutenberg and Probstzella and is reviewing their technical and financial feasibility as part of further development projects.
For Marko Wolfram, the political representative for the Saalfeld/Rudolstadt district, the planned pumped storage power plant is an important factor for the value chain in the region: "With an investment volume of around 450 million and a construction time of about six years, local and regional businesses will profit directly from this project. Local engineers and planers, construction-related companies, tradespersons and craftspeople, haulage firms as well as restaurants, caterers and hotels will see increased business for WSK PULS and its partner companies in this time. And when it is in operation, the plant will provide secure and demanding jobs and will contribute to a higher trade tax income."
Positive evaluation of project contingent on 24 measures
The Thuringian state administrative office in Weimar has made the project's compatibility with regional planning policy contingent on 24 separate measures (see link to website of thueringen.de). The structural stability of all structures of the pumped storage power plant must be proved by relevant assessments and the safety of the water supply must be assured during construction and operation - something that goes without saying for WSK PLUS: "The geologic safety of the upper and lower basins and of the powerplant chamber is a basic prerequisite for us to be able to continue the project. As a subsidiary of the STRABAG Group, we possess global experience in the design and construction of geologically challenging structures such as tunnels or pumped storage plants", Ullrich assures. The safety of the water supply and observance of drinking water protection zones are naturally part of any responsible project execution.
Nature conservancy is especially important for the state administrative office. The agency is requiring the company to implement "all possibilities for landscape adaptation and reduction of the required space". These measures also play a decisive role for WSK PULS: "We know that our Green Battery' will only be accepted locally if we integrate the pumped storage power plant into the landscape and into the human and animal habitat as good as possible." According to Steinbauer, this includes not only the protection of endemic animals and plants but also compliance with all emission limits and restrictions as well as the "best possible adaptation of the technical facilities into the surrounding landscape" as defined by the state's regional planning evaluation. For the construction phase, the state administrative office is requiring the project company to come up with a detailed traffic concept to reduce the impact of construction site traffic and material transports on the local communities "to the necessary minimum" and to retrofit transport routes if necessary.
The agency also mandates that great care be taken with regard to forest and agricultural land and to avoid the fragmentation of farmland. During construction and operation, there should be as little negative impact on the existing agricultural structures as possible: "We are engaged in a very positive conversation with the large agricultural operations in Leutenberg and Probstzella. After all, the project is not only intended to contribute to the sustainability of the energy supply but should also benefit the local and regional economy", said Steinbauer.
WSK PULS looking for project partners
Now that the project has passed the regional planning approval, WSK PULS will intensify its talks with potential strategic partners, as WSK PULS supervisory board member and STRABAG Project Development Infrastructure sub-division manager Felix Koselleck explains: "We are an experienced project development company and for the further implementation of our project we are looking for one or more companies or institutions to help us shape the design, build and operate phases of the project." Possible partners, according to Koselleck, could be financial investors interested in a long-term, high-yield investment. "We are specifically engaged in talks with companies in the energy field in order to apply their expertise in the electricity market and in the operation of power plants. We are also very optimistic of being able to convince big-name companies of our idea of a Green Battery' and to participate in a joint project and operating company. After all, pumped storage power plants are currently the only proven and technically realisable storage facilities to deal with the fluctuations from solar and wind energy. They will therefore be an important building block for the integration of renewable energy sources in a low-carbon, climate-friendly energy system."
Preparations underway for planning approval
The next step for WSK PULS will be to prepare the design approval. At the same time, the Erfurt-based company will continue to speak with property owners in Leutenberg and Probstzella in order to discuss the purchase of properties lying directly in the project area as well as of adjacent properties to offer in trade: "We are on the right path in terms of the property acquisition. Many property owners have recognised this unique opportunity to help revolutionise our energy system toward an environmentally friendly energy supply and to sell their properties at an attractive price", said Steinbauer.
WSK PULS GmbH is a subsidiary of STRABAG SE, one of the leading European-based technology groups for construction services with more than 73,000 employees and an annual output volume of around 14 billion. At the same time, a dense network of numerous subsidiaries in many European countries and, increasingly, on other continents is helping to expand STRABAG's area of operation far beyond the borders of Austria and Germany. WSK PULS GmbH, with headquarters in Erfurt, is responsible for the Leutenberg/Probstzella pumped storage power plant project. WSK PULS will design and - following the successful conclusion of the regional planning and design approval procedures - finance, build and operate the pumped storage power plant in Leutenberg/Probstzella.
May 13, 2024
