Niklai is a 2 MW hydro power plant in Carinthia, Austria. It is operated by Verbund. Based on its capacity (estimated), it can supply roughly 2.0k homes (estimated). It ranks #123 of 131 Austria power plants by installed capacity. Commissioned in 1960, it is around 66 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).
Plant data: WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0), id WRI1005215.
Data status
Known data
Calculated from dataset
Not available
Known, modelled and calculated values are kept separate. Missing fields are shown as unavailable.
Data provenance
Capacity and fuel are the upstream open-dataset record, not yet matched to a 2026 registry or GEM entry.
capacity: WRI GPPD; fuel: WRI GPPD
In context: how this plant compares
At 2 MW, Niklai is below the median hydro plant in Austria (30 MW). 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.
Key facts
- Share of Austria hydro capacity
- less than 0.1% of 9,237 MW across 96 plants in this dataset
- Age among peers
- 23 of 94 dated hydro plants in Austria are older
Calculated from the capacity and generation records in this dataset (WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0)).
Capacity vs largest hydro plants in Austria
Installed capacity (MW), WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0).
Owner
Operated by Verbund. All plants by this company →
Local climate & thermal context
This hydro plant converts the energy of falling or flowing water through hydro turbines. It sits in a subarctic (boreal) climate (Köppen Dfc) — Northern Hemisphere, latitude 46.8°N — which shapes how much energy it can produce and how its output varies through the year.
Monthly mean temperature
Heating degree-days here run 86% 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: 91/100 — 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
This site sits in a mild atmospheric environment (estimated ISO 9223 class C2 — Low), with humidity / wetness the leading environmental stress.
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 #88 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
- Feldkirchen · Hydro · 38 MW · Carinthia
- Kreuzeck days storage · Hydro · 45 MW · Carinthia
- Steinfeld · Hydro · 1 MW · Carinthia
- Paternion · Hydro · 24 MW · Carinthia
- Malta Secondary school · Hydro · 120 MW · Salzburg
- Malta main stage · Hydro · 730 MW · Salzburg
Location
Coordinates 46.8167, 13.3167 from WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0). View on OpenStreetMap.
Frequently asked questions
What type of power plant is Niklai?
Niklai is a 2 MW hydro power plant in Carinthia, Austria, commissioned in 1960.
Who operates Niklai?
Niklai is operated by Verbund.