MEP Elisabeth Dieringer (PfE) has submitted a written parliamentary question to the European Commission, challenging the compatibility of Austria Power Grid's (APG) planned 380 kV overhead power line with EU environmental law and the Alpine Convention. The 180 km line, running from Lienz in East Tyrol to Völkermarkt in south-east Carinthia, would require pylons up to 90 metres high on concrete foundations of 20x20 metres, cutting through sensitive Alpine forest areas. Dieringer warns of health impacts, land take, soil compaction, biodiversity loss, deforestation, and permanent damage to natural scenery.
The question, filed on 9 June 2026 under Rule 144 of the European Parliament's rules of procedure, asks the Commission two specific things: first, to assess the project's compatibility with the Alpine Convention and relevant EU law on forest protection and nature restoration; second, to state what measures it intends to take as guardian of the Treaties to urge APG to adopt a less harmful approach, such as underground or underwater cabling.
Dieringer's intervention targets a concrete infrastructure project that pits grid expansion for energy transmission against environmental and health protections. The MEP's call for underground or underwater cables reflects a preference for higher-cost, lower-impact alternatives over overhead lines. The Commission is expected to reply within approximately six weeks; its answer will signal whether it sees the project as a national matter or one requiring EU-level scrutiny under environmental directives. The question also puts pressure on APG and Austrian authorities to justify the chosen route against less invasive options.
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