During World War I, Oskar Von Miller advised the Kingdom of Bavaria to build hydroelectric plants due to limited coal reserves and the region's landscape. His vision was to power Bavaria's railways and spread prosperity. In 1918, the Bavarian parliament approved building the Walchensee Power Plant. It harnesses the altitude difference between Lake Walchensee and Lake Kochelsee using diversion channels and weirs. Water flows through tunnels and large pipes under high pressure to turn turbines that generate electricity and still provide 300 GWh annually.