The “Valluga” weather radar, which is located on the Arlberg, has been out of operation since 2017 because it was badly damaged by a lightning strike. Since then there has been a dispute about who will pay for the repairs. The federal states of Tyrol and Vorarlberg have now reached an agreement with the federal government.

The federal government contributes 2,5 million euros and the two states contribute 1,5 million euros. The Ministry of Science will then be responsible for the ongoing operating costs alone. The restart should take place by 2026 at the latest. From this point on, operation is guaranteed for at least ten years.

The weather radar in question is located at an altitude of 2.800 meters and, from the point of view of state politicians, is also of crucial importance for aviation. Since it is an extremely expensive technique, it was debated for a long time who should pay the costs. It has been out of use since the lightning strike that occurred in 2017.

The state governors presented the project together with Finance Minister Magnus Brunner (ÖVP) at a press conference. State-of-the-art technology should be used. This should make it possible to deliver 3D radar images that can cover a radius of around 240 kilometers. Science Minister Martin Polaschek explained that the need for precise weather data would increase. For this reason, his department would invest in the new “Valluga” radar and cover the annual operating costs for around ten years.

The focus is not only on information that can be provided to aviation, but those responsible also hope that the modernized weather radar will be able to detect extreme weather events earlier and better. In this context, politicians agree that such incidents could increase significantly in the next few years.

The “old” weather radar was operated by Austro Control. The ACG logos are currently still attached to the defective equipment - as can be seen in the photos. In the future, the operator will be the Ministry of Science. It is currently still unclear whether the authority will operate this itself or spin it off into a state-owned GmbH.