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THE FIRST LARGE-SCALE HYDROELECTRIC POWER STATIONS WERE BUILT OVER 100 YEARS AGO ON THE RHINE.

In the generation of electricity, water has played a key role from the very beginning. In 1866,Werner von Siemens discovered the principle of electrodynamics, thereby paving the way for the construction of generators. At the same time, traditional water wheels were replaced by more powerful turbines. Initially, electric power was generated in the immediate vicinity of consumers, since transmitting it over long distances resulted in considerable losses. It was not until 1891 that Oskar von Miller successfully managed to transmit high-tension rotary current from a hydroelectric plant in the town of Lauffen to Frankfurt, over 100 kilometers to the north. This established the model for the construction of large-scale power station capacities and a supply grid that was able to provide full, area-wide coverage. While coal-fired power stations were generally built in the industrial centers of western Germany, hydroelectric power was given preference in the south. The High Rhine between Schaffhausen and Basel in particular provided ideal conditions for the construction of large-scale hydroelectric power stations. Here, over a distance of some 140 kilometers, the Rhine has a gradient of 145 meters, with Lake Constance forming a natural reservoir and ensuring even-flow conditions.

In 1895, a consortium under the leadership of AEG began building the first power station near Rheinfelden. It went into operation in 1898 with 20 turbines and an output of some ten megawatts. Subsequently, a large number of companies with high energy requirements settled in the area around Rheinfelden, especially those specializing in electrochemicals. They produced aluminum and basic chemical substances such as chlorine, nitrogen fertilizer and the bleaching agent sodium perborate—the latter going on to take German households by storm under the brand name “Persil.”

Over a period of 70 years, a total of eleven hydroelectric power plants were built on the High Rhine. They were mainly constructed by consortia of German and Swiss companies: these included well-known manufacturers of turbines and generators, as well as successful construction companies.

The design and construction of the weirs and powerhouses and the hydroelectric engineering involved required a high level of technical expertise, particularly in foundation engineering. As one of the leading companies in this field, Grün & Bilfinger AG was involved in the construction of several power stations. Between 1909 and 1914 Grün & Bilfinger built the powerhouse in Laufenburg, and also carried out extensive work to correct the riverbed above the power station. This was followed by Ryburg-Schwörstadt (1927 – 1931)—which to this day is the largest hydroelectric power facility on the High Rhine—and Reckingen (1938 – 1941). After the Second World War, Grün & Bilfinger AG was contracted to build the power plants Birsfelden (1950 – 1954) and Säckingen (1961 – 1966).

The original intention was to build another power station on the High Rhine near Koblenz-Kadelburg. However, construction was terminated in 1966 since at the time it was considered uneconomical to build a new plant. In the context of the current political debate on climate and energy, hydroelectric power is reasserting its importance: the oldest power station in Rheinfelden is currently being replaced with a newly constructed facility that will deliver an output of 100 megawatts as of 2011.

(Text: Martin Krauss)