The Idea

It was Kommerzialrat Franz Brunner who first had the idea to erect a wind park in Oberzeiring. He comes from Knittelfeld, Styria, operates the Uitz Mill and a hydroelectric plant, sells feed for cattle and is an enthusiastic hunter. It was exactly during this activity that he was constantly being bothered by the strong winds which blow continually from the Kobaldeck.

Until the day, Mr. Brunner decided to do something positive with the wind instead of letting himself be annoyed by it. He made up his mind to use this available energy source and to make electricity not only from water but also from wind.

Panorama at the Kobaldeck

It was clear to Mr. Brunner that he would need experts to help him. In 1997 he contacted the Energiewerkstatt GmbH, a technical planning office for wind energy, and began with wind measurements in the framework of an ALTENER project.

He soon was pleased with the sensational results of a mean wind speed of 7 m/s in a measuring height of 10 m.

However the next steps for development of the project were time and money consuming and progress slowed down.

It was just by chance that at this time Mr. Brunner met Mr. Trauttmansdorff, who became totally convinced about the idea of a wind park in Oberzeiring. It was agreed that he would take over further project developments. In 1999 he founded the company Tauernwindpark Windkraftanlagen GmbH to manage the wind park. The complex planning phase and permit procedures began.