Energy future in Bernhardsthal: Investment secures electricity supply

Energy future in Bernhardsthal: Investment secures electricity supply

An important project for the energy future has begun in the municipality of Bernhardsthal. The existing transformer station has been replaced by a more powerful version to meet the population's growing electricity needs. This increases security of supply in the region, which is of central importance for the increasingly expanding community. The old tower transformer station will soon be dismantled to make room for innovative developments.

In addition to this renovation, the power lines were also strengthened and empty pipes were laid for future fiber optic connections. These steps aim not only to improve the quality of life locally, but also to increase the efficiency and sustainability of the energy supply. Mayor Doris Kellner explains this as a decisive step forward for urban development.

Investment and infrastructure development

Construction work on the project, which began last year, was successfully completed this summer and the new station was put into operation. The investment amount amounts to around 310,000 euros, an important basis for future developments in Bernhardsthal. Ronald Brechelmacher, head of the Mistelbach Service Center, emphasizes that network expansion is essential in response to the growing demands on power supply, especially given the increasing use of renewable energies such as photovoltaic systems and heat pumps.

As a distribution network operator, Netz NÖ is pursuing a comprehensive modernization program until 2030 that addresses increasing energy demand. Austria has set itself ambitious goals to significantly increase energy production from renewable sources. By 2030, generation from photovoltaic systems is expected to increase tenfold, while wind power production is expected to double.

These plans include the construction and renewal of around 40 substations as well as the construction of around 700 new transformer stations every year. This represents a significant increase compared to the previous 250 stations per year. In addition, Netz NÖ plans to expand around 1,000 km of medium and low voltage cables annually in order to make the energy infrastructure fit for the future.

This expansion is necessary to meet the ever-growing demand for energy and to prepare the grid for feeding in new energy sources, particularly solar and wind power. In the first half of 2024, more than 14,000 new photovoltaic systems were connected to the grid, increasing the number of solar power plants in Lower Austria to over 115,000. These figures include around a quarter of all solar power plants and more than half of all wind turbines in Austria, which are located in Lower Austria.

In 2023, Netz NÖ plans to invest around 450 million euros in the network infrastructure. The existing pipeline network in Lower Austria, which extends over around 56,400 km, is to be continuously expanded and modernized in order to meet the requirements of future energy supply and to prepare the region for future challenges. For more information, see the current reporting on www.meinkreis.at.