Das Wasserkraftpotenzial in Rheinland-Pfalz

Rhineland-Palatinate’s Hydro Potential Rhineland-Palatinate has already developed a considerable portion of its hydropower potential. There still is, however, an untapped potential for medium and smaller hydro schemes; this potential is currently identified within the framework of a study entitled “assessment of Rhineland-Palatinate’s migratory fish watercourses with a view to their passability and suitability for hydropower generation”. The data base used for this study is the QUIS-RLP information system on transversal dam structures as of May 2006. In 2006, there were 175 hydropower plants with a total installed hydro capacity of 240 MW in Rhineland-Palatinate. 200 MW were installed in 14 plants along the Mosel River and the Saar River with a capacity of � 1 MW. In addition, there are a considerable number of medium-sized and smaller plants. The annual amount of energy generated by existing plants was estimated to be 0.98 TWh. The untapped potential amounts to 0.03 TWh/a, of which some 0.01 TWh/a can probably not be used for economic and ecological reasons.