Vialit Braunau relies on eco-hydropower

As one of Europe’s leading manufacturers of innovative asphalt specialities, Vialit has been committed to environmental protection and sustainability for
90 years now. This principle shapes the production of high-quality road surfaces, bitumen emulsions and innovative products such as RapsAsphalt, REaktiv Asphalt and other global firsts.

Therefore, Vialit has been using self-produced electricity for some time.

In 2014, Vialit in Braunau built its own small hydroelectric power plant at the Dietfurt lock on the Mattig river. It was put into operation in 2016. The centrepiece – a Kaplan turbine – has an output of 139 kW at a speed of 150 rpm with an efficiency of up to 90%. Power is transmitted to the generator by means of a belt drive. A digital display on the outside of the Vialit power plant and company building shows the current output, the amount of electricity generated and the CO₂ savings.

Next to the power plant building, a 50 m long fish ladder was built in the form of a pond passage with 14 pools. This facilitates the fish’s ascent by providing an aid to migration with a water flow of between 220 and 320 l/sec.

Road surfaces and environmental awareness – a contradiction?

Not at Vialit. Environmental protection is not only taken into account when it comes to generating electricity for our own production. Our research and development department also relies on the use of renewable raw materials such as rapeseed for its asphalt innovations. REaktivAsphalt, for its part, uses on pure water as a reactant instead of volatile solvents – another revolutionary development in road surfaces.