Electrified Danube

2026-07-22

The overall objective of the Electrified Danube project is to upgrade 17 mooring locations along the Rhine-Danube inland waterway Core Network Corridor in the Austrian regions of Upper Austria and Lower Austria. The project is part of the global project “Action plan Danube” and the “Leitplanung Landstrom” of the Austrian Ministry of Federal Ministry for Climate Action, the Environment, Energy, Mobility, Innovation and Technology (BMK). The specific objective is to increase the use of renewable energy and reduce the use of fossil fuels in passenger transport along this TEN-T inland waterway corridor by installing 17 onshore power supply facilities (OPS) for cruise ships for full season operation on those moorings, within the areas of the Municipalities of Engehartszell, Linz, Melk and Krems. These installations will allow cruise ships to switch off the diesel aggregates, that operate, currently, throughout the entire stay of 6 to 18 hours in the mooring locations, in order to produce the necessary electricity to operate these swimming hotels. And consequently, consume enormous amounts of energy (350 to 500kW) per hour. Instead, they will be provided with onshore electricity of 100% renewable resources via equipment installed on the pontoons and mooring sites in 17 locations. This project includes the provision of the necessary electrical installations, such as connecting point at the mooring (Energy Terminal), the necessary transformer station, cabling and connection to the public grids and relevant operations software. This project is expected to contribute to the targets set out in the EU Green Deal for transport and mobility and the expected results of the long-term implementation of this project until 2041 are reduction of greenhouse gas emissions of cruise ships on the Danube by over 77.000 tons of CO2 until 2041. That is the equivalent per capital emission of around 11.000 inhabitants in Austria or 10 times the population of Engelharstzell, twice of Melk or half of Krems. Reductions are also expected in emissions of harmful air pollutants from diesel combustion, such as nitrogen oxides (NOx), non-methane hydrocarbons (NMHC) and particulate matters (PM), due to no operation of the diesel engines during daytime and especially during night time. Additionally, noise emissions caused by those diesel aggregates will be removed, allowing noise levels of 40dB that is the same as regular background noise at night and which is deemed healthy and not disturbing. These onshore power supply facilities will be implemented and operated by the two partners of this project, Linz Strom Gas Wärme GmbH, a public electric power supplier in the city of Linz, responsible for the OPS systems in the 10 mooring locations in the region of Upper Austria (Engelhartszell, Linz). EVN Energievertrieb GmbH & CO KG, a public electric power service company in the region of Lower Austria, and EVN Energieservices GmbH (EVN ES), that manages special electricity-related services in the region of Lower Austria, are responsible for the OPS systems in the 7 mooring locations in Lower Austria (Melk and Krems).

Austria

2026-03-01