Hydropower plants up to 1,000 kilowatts - apply for authorisation for construction and expansion

Prerequisite

The main requirements are set out in the Water Resources Management Act (WHG), particularly with regard to continuity, minimum water flow and fish protection.

You must also observe

• Management objectives for achieving good ecological status or good ecological potential
• supplementary state regulations of the Water Act (Water Act for Baden-Württemberg (WG)), in particular the efficiency requirement for the utilisation of hydropower
• nature and species conservation regulations.

All of this can lead to a refusal under certain circumstances.

Responsible department

the lower water authority

The lower water authority is

• for urban districts: the city administration
• for rural districts: the district administration.

Procedure

Contact the responsible authority at an early stage. They can clarify in advance whether the location is generally suitable for your hydropower utilisation project.
Tip:If possible, arrangean appointment with the authority for preliminary clarificationon site at the watercourse. Although preliminary clarifications based on only a few documents are helpful for planning the project, they have only limited significancefor the final decision in thesubsequent procedure.

There are therefore different procedures for the actual authorisation:

• Planning approval procedure
  You must carry out a planning approval procedure if the following points apply:
  • The planned hydropower utilisation will lead to therthe creation, removal or significant modificationlof a watercourse or its banks.
  • These interventions are so extensive that an environmental impact assessment is required.
    Note: Subject to Section 19 (1) of the Water Resources Act (WHG), the planning approval decision replaces all official authorisations required under other legislation.
• Planning approval procedure
  Planning approval may be sufficient for measures such as fish ladders.
• Permit and authorisation procedure
  As the use of hydropower is associated with the use of water bodies, you regularly need apermit or authorisationunder water law.In the case ofplanning approval,the planningapprovalauthorityalso decides on the granting of the permit or authorisation.

Tip: Clarify directly with the responsible authority which procedure you need to choose for your project.

Deadlines

none

Required documents

For preliminary clarifications, you must submit a site plan and a rough design and dimensioning of the system with the important discharge data of the watercourse. These must show the scope and impact of the project.

You can obtain more detailed information from the competent authority.

It is also best to clarify which documents you need for the authorisation procedure with the responsible authority.

Costs

are based on

• Administrative costs and
• Your economic or other interest

Processing time

depends on the complexity of the project, for example on the necessary investigations

Miscellaneous

none

Appeal

none

Legal basis

Gesetz zur Ordnung des Wasserhaushalts (WHG):

• § 8 Erlaubnis, Bewilligung
• § 9 Benutzungen
• § 10Inhalt der Erlaubnis und der Bewilligung
• § 19 Planfeststellungen und bergrechtliche Betriebspläne
• § 27 Bewirtschaftungsziele für oberirdische Gewässer
• § 33 Mindestwasserführung
• § 34Durchgängigkeit oberirdischer Gewässer
• § 35 Wasserkraftnutzung
• § 67 Grundsatz, Begriffsbestimmung
• § 68 Planfeststellung, Plangenehmigung

Wassergesetz für Baden-Württemberg (WG):

• § 23 Mindestwasserführung, Durchgängigkeit, Wasserkraftnutzung ( zu §§ 33 bis 35 WHG)

• § 24 Wasserkraftnutzung (zu §§ 12 und 35 WHG)
• § 25 Vorhandene Querbauwerke (zu § 35 Absatz 3 WHG)

Gesetz über die Umweltverträglichkeitsprüfung (UVPG)

Release note

Machine generated, based on the German release by: Umweltministerium Baden-Württemberg, 28.05.2025