Austria: EVN replaces fossil power plant with solar park

The Lower Austrian energy supplier EVN has commissioned a new solar park in Peisching, about 40 kilometers southwest of Vienna. However, the facility isn't located just anywhere. The Peisching power plant once stood on the site west of the town. EVN burned coal and natural gas there to generate electricity since the 1960s. However, it has been shut down since 1987. Only the substation was still in operation.

Solar power for 3,000 households

After the old fossil fuel was demolished in the fall of 2023, EVN was able to usher in the energy transition on the 7.5-hectare site with the construction of a solar power plant with a capacity of almost ten megawatts. The installers installed more than 14,000 solar modules on the site. These generate approximately 10 gigawatt hours of green electricity annually, enough to power approximately 3,000 Austrian households.

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Sealed area well used

For Stefan Zach, spokesperson for EVN, the new solar park in Peisching is the perfect example of a successful location. "In addition to building areas, our focus is on the construction of large-scale photovoltaic systems on already sealed surfaces," he explains. "Power plant sites are therefore particularly suitable, as we also have the necessary infrastructure there."

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300 megawatts planned by 2030

With the new photovoltaic system, EVN is also moving closer to its ambitious solar expansion goals. The utility aims to have photovoltaic systems with a total capacity of 300 megawatts in its portfolio by 2030. Furthermore, as part of its climate initiative, the company aims to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 60 percent by 2034 with projects like this one.

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Politics is satisfied

Stephan Pernkopf, Energy Minister of Lower Austria, also came to Peisching for the opening. "Lower Austria is the federal state with the greatest CO2 savings and the most green electricity," he said, referring to the energy transition in the Alpine republic. "We will continue on this path," he promised. "We want to further expand renewable electricity production in the coming years. The photovoltaic system in Peisching is an absolute showcase project: It generates an enormous amount of clean electricity without consuming valuable agricultural land."

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This is also a huge step toward reducing greenhouse gases for the municipality of Neuenkirchen, to which Peisching belongs. "The new photovoltaic system in Peisching fits perfectly with our strategy and the energy concept of the municipality of Neunkirchen," says Mayor Klaudia Osztovics. "This brings us another big step closer to a renewable energy future," she emphasizes.