Students experience hydropower up close

The energy company in Rodund, which has been active in the hydropower sector for over 100 years, employs more than 1,600 people. illwerke vkw not only ensures a reliable power supply in Vorarlberg and the neighboring West Allgäu region. Its pumped storage power plants also play a central role in the European electricity grid. These plants can quickly generate energy or absorb energy from the grid to compensate for fluctuations and ensure the stability of the grid. The company has set itself a new project target for 2037: The construction of Lünerseewerk II, which will be Austria's largest pumped storage power plant. With an investment of around 2.65 billion euros, a power plant with an impressive output of over 1,000 megawatts is to be built here.

The company attaches great importance to sustainability and renaturation, so that the facilities are seamlessly integrated into the surrounding landscape and are barely noticeable from the outside. During a guided tour of Kopswerk II, which was built between 2004 and 2008 at great technical expense, the participants were given an exciting insight into the impressive "inner workings" of a pumped storage power plant.

The combination of fascinating technology, special impressions and the open, friendly corporate culture of illwerke vkw left a lasting impression. Perhaps some of the students will see their professional future in Bregenz or Montafon, as engineers are urgently needed at illwerke vkw.