Kölnbrein Dam
| Kölnbrein Dam | |
|---|---|
| Official name | Kölnbreinsperre |
| Location | Malta, Carinthia, Austria |
| Coordinates | 47°04′45″N 13°20′21″E / 47.07917°N 13.33917°E |
| Status | In use |
| Construction began | 1971 |
| Opening date | 1977 |
| Dam and spillways | |
| Type of dam | Concrete arch |
| Impounds | Malta River |
| Height | 200 m (660 ft) |
| Length | 626 m (2,054 ft) |
| Width (crest) | 7.6 m (25 ft) |
| Width (base) | 41 m (135 ft) |
| Dam volume | 1,580,000 m3 (2,070,000 cu yd) |
| Reservoir | |
| Total capacity | 205,000,000 m3 (166,000 acre⋅ft) |
| Catchment area | 129 km2 (50 sq mi) |
| Surface area | 2.55 km2 (0.98 sq mi) |
| Power Station | |
| Operator(s) | Verbund AG |
| Commission date | 1948-1979 |
| Installed capacity | Upper stage: 120 MW (160,000 hp) Main stage: 730 MW (980,000 hp) Lower stage: 41 MW (55,000 hp) Reisseck plants: 137.5 MW (184,400 hp) Total: 1,028.5 MW (1,379,200 hp) |
| Annual generation | 1,216 GWh (4,380 TJ) |
The Kölnbrein Dam is an arch dam in the Hohe Tauern range within Carinthia, Austria. It was constructed between 1971 and 1979 and at 200 metres (660 ft) high, it is the tallest dam in Austria. The dam's reservoir serves as the primary storage in a three-stage pumped-storage power system that consists of nine dams, four hydroelectric power plants and a series of pipeline and penstocks. The complex is owned by Verbund power company and is referred to as the Malta-Reisseck Power Plant Group. The installed capacity of the group is 1,028.5 MW and its annual generation is 1,216 gigawatt-hours (4,380 TJ).
While the dam's reservoir was filling, several cracks appeared in the dam and it took more than a decade of repairs before the reservoir could operate at maximum levels. Currently, the Reisseck II pumped-storage power plant is under construction and will effectively connect both the Malta and Reisseck groups and add an additional 430 MW of production capacity.