Funding of operational aquatic ecological restoration measures

Companies in Styria operating hydromorphologically impacting facilities – in particular operators of hydropower plants – can implement operational water ecological restoration measures with a direct grant. The goal is to reduce existing burdens on surface waters through measures such as restoring connectivity, mitigating impacts from pipelines, backwater and surges, as well as ecologically oriented restructuring of morphologically altered river sections. The funding combines resources from federal and state levels and makes an important contribution to environmental and nature conservation, energy efficiency, and climate protection.

Both investment costs and associated ancillary costs are eligible for funding with a total subsidy rate ranging from 20% to 55%, scaled according to company size (small: 55%; medium: 45%; large: 20%). Applicants must act as operators of a hydromorphologically impacting facility, submit the state funding application together with the federal funding application in accordance with the Federal Funding Guidelines 2024 – Water Ecology, and comply with the State Funding Guidelines 2024 Water Ecology for competition participants. Applications can be submitted until December 31, 2026. Required documents include the completed state funding application (Excel) as well as the documents according to the federal guidelines. Comprehensive professional advice during project development, an independent evaluation, and an official final inspection (approval) accompany the process to ensure efficient and legally secure implementation.