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Lünerseewerk

Hydro power plant in Vorarlberg, Austria. Approximate location 47.074, 9.874.

HydroVorarlbergAustriapumped storage

Lünerseewerk is a 280 MW hydro power station in Vorarlberg, Austria. It is operated by Vorarlberge Illwerke AG. Based on its capacity (estimated), it can supply roughly 280k homes (estimated). It ranks #20 of 131 Austria power plants by installed capacity. Commissioned in 1958, it is around 68 years old — an older, legacy facility. As a non-combustion source, it has no direct CO₂ emissions from generation. In context, hydro supplies about 51.8% of Austria's electricity; the national grid averages 117 gCO₂/kWh (83.6% low-carbon) (2025).

280Source-backed capacity
280,320homes powered (est.)
1958commissioned (~68 yrs)

Plant data: WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0), id WRI1019155.

Data status

Known data

FacilityLünerseewerk WRI
CountryAustria · Vorarlberg WRI
Coordinates47.074, 9.874 WRI
FuelHydro WRI
MW installed capacity280 MW WRI source record; scope not independently normalised
OwnerVorarlberge Illwerke AG WRI
Commissioned1958 WRI
Technologypumped storage WRI

Calculated from dataset

Capacity rank in country#20 of 131 calculated
Fuel-specific rank in country#11 of 96 calculated
Capacity vs country/fuel peers9.33× · 30 MW median · 96 peers calculated
Homes-powered equivalent280,320 calculated
Climate1.6°C · HDD 5,966 derived from coordinates
Environmental severityC2 · 22/100 derived from coordinates

Not available

GWh reported / yrNot available not in dataset
CO₂ emissionsnot applicable not applicable

Known, modelled and calculated values are kept separate. Missing fields are shown as unavailable.

Data provenance

The capacity and/or fuel fields on this page include a source-backed provenance label from GEM, an official registry, Wikidata, OSM, or a cross-source match.

capacity: GEM tracker 2026 (location L100000600120); fuel: WRI source-record fuel

In context: how this plant compares

At 280 MW, Lünerseewerk is well above the median hydro plant in Austria (30 MW). Technically it is described as pumped storage. Hydropower converts the energy of falling or flowing water into electricity; output depends on rainfall and reservoir level, and large dams also provide grid balancing and storage.

Capacity comparison computed from the WRI Global Power Plant Database; fuel-type context is general engineering background.

Capacity vs largest hydro plants in Austria

Malta main stage: 730 MW730Malta main…Kopswerk II: 525 MW525Kopswerk IIKW Silz: 500 MW500KW SilzKaprun Limberg II: 480 MW480Kaprun Lim…KW Kaunertal: 392 MW392KW Kaunert…Mayrhofen: 355 MW355MayrhofenRodundwerk II: 295 MW295Rodundwerk…Greifenstein: 293 MW293Greifenste…

Installed capacity (MW), WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0).

Owner

Operated by Vorarlberge Illwerke AG.

Local climate & thermal context

This hydro plant converts the energy of falling or flowing water through hydro turbines. It sits in a temperate oceanic climate (Köppen Cfb) — Northern Hemisphere, latitude 47.1°N — which shapes how much energy it can produce and how its output varies through the year.

1.6°Cannual mean temp
5,966heating degree-days (base 18°C)
0cooling degree-days (base 18°C)
1,982 melevation

Monthly mean temperature

J: -6 °CJF: -6 °CFM: -3 °CMA: -1 °CAM: 4 °CMJ: 7 °CJJ: 10 °CJA: 10 °CAS: 7 °CSO: 3 °CON: -2 °CND: -5 °CD10 °C

Heating degree-days here run 143% above the median power plant in this dataset — a proxy for how much extra energy heated equipment must replace through its surfaces in winter.

Climate heat-demand index: 98/100 — this site sits in the top third of the power plants we cover by heating degree-days.

Climate normals: WorldClim 2.1 (1970–2000 monthly normals, 10 arc-min, CC BY 4.0); zone: Köppen-Geiger world climate classification (Kottek et al. 2006, 0.5° grid). Degree-days & heat-demand index computed by PowerAtlas — a modelled heat-demand proxy, not a measured site figure.

Site climate & environmental severity

For a plant’s outdoor hardware — heat-recovery steam generators (HRSG), expansion joints, valves, flanges and their insulation — the local climate sets how fast unprotected steel and coatings degrade. This site sits in a mild atmospheric environment (estimated ISO 9223 class C2 — Low), with humidity / wetness the leading environmental stress.

C2ISO 9223 corrosivity (indicative)
22/100environmental-severity index
15.8°Cseasonal temperature swing
283 kmdistance to coast

Higher environmental severity is exactly where protective removable insulation pays back most: a sheltered micro-climate slows corrosion, UV and thermal-cycling damage and extends outdoor hardware service life. This is an indicative site-climate context — not a condition assessment of any specific plant or operator.

Indicative estimate via the ISO 9223:2012 informative method (atmospheric corrosivity from temperature, time-of-wetness and airborne salinity), using WorldClim climate normals, the Köppen-Geiger class and coast distance. Indicative, not a measured corrosion rate.

How it compares & nearby plants

The #11 largest hydro power plant of 96 in Austria by capacity.

Austria has 96 hydro power plants in this dataset, together about 9,237 MW of capacity.

Nearby power plants

Location

Coordinates 47.074, 9.874 from WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0). View on OpenStreetMap.

Frequently asked questions

What type of power plant is Lünerseewerk?

Lünerseewerk is a 280 MW source-record hydro power plant in Vorarlberg, Austria, commissioned in 1958.

How many homes can Lünerseewerk power?

Its output is enough to supply roughly 280,320 homes (estimated).

Who operates Lünerseewerk?

Lünerseewerk is operated by Vorarlberge Illwerke AG.

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