Birsfelden hydroelectric power station

4 August 2020

The Birsfelden hydroelectric power station (Rheinkraftwerk Birsfelden) in the canton of Basel-Landschaft was built in 1954.

The first plans date from the last decades of the 19th century. At that time, however, there was no need for (clean) electrical energy. The alternatives (mainly coal, wood) were cheaper and available.

However, the Second World War caused an extraordinary increase in the electricity demand. The architect Hans Hofmann developed the project, including the harbours and locks.

The power station is art and industry. It became the benchmark for industrial construction. The power station has a low level of decay, which is compensated by the enormous water volumes of the Rhine. Anyone who has seen the Rheinfall at Schaffhausen knows what flows at Birsfelden every second.

The energy covers about 17% of the total electricity consumption in the region of Basel. The power station is open to the public by appointment.

(Source and further information: www.kw-birsfelden.ch).