Iffezheim Rhine power plant
EnBW has installed a fifth machine in the existing plant at its Rhine power plant in Iffezheim. With an installed output of 38 MW, it has been producing carbon-free electricity for around an additional 35,000 households every year since 2013. EnBW is thus continuing to play its part in exploiting the hydropower potential still available in Baden-Württemberg.
Environmental measures
In 1987, the International Commission for the Protection of the Rhine set out a program of measures aimed at restoring the Rhine’s ecosystem. One visible sign of the success of this program has been the return of salmon. As part of these measures, a decision was taken to construct a fish ladder in Iffezheim. Fish ladders allow the fish to swim upstream because the natural path is cut off by the turbine hall and weir. The project was financed by the two neighboring countries and the power plant operators.
How the fishway works in Iffezheim
The fish ladder in Iffezheim has been in operation since June 2000. A current attracts the fish into the fishway, where they migrate upstream via the so-called vertical slot pass. A small bulb turbine reduces the power of this current to a manageable level for the fish. The electricity generated in the process is another gain in terms of renewable energy. Since it was commissioned, more than 200,000 fish have migrated through the pass in Iffezheim.