Koralm pumped storage plant project officially fails

The Koralm pumped storage plant project has officially failed following a final ruling by the Austrian Administrative Court. The proposed 960-megawatt facility, located on the Koralm in Styria, had been subject to legal disputes since 2012 regarding the necessity of environmental impact assessments and the protection of Natura 2000 areas.

After the Federal Administrative Court overturned the project's permit in July 2023, the operating company, Pumpspeicherkraftwerk Koralm GmbH, sought recourse through the Constitutional Court. The recent decision by the Administrative Court exhausts all legal avenues, providing what environmental advocates describe as legal certainty for the region.