Hydro Tasmania will invest $1.6 billion over the next decade to optimise and modernise its existing infrastructure.
Comprising 30 power stations and 54 major dams, Hydro Tasmania’s network is one of the most complex hydropower systems in the world and has underpinned the state’s strong renewable energy record.
However, being an early pioneer in hydropower means that some of that infrastructure is due for a much‑needed upgrade.
Hydro Tasmania’s planned capital works program includes major refurbishments across ten power stations and five dams. The upgrades will extend the operational life of the state’s power stations, improving capacity, reliability and flexibility.
Hydro Tasmania Acting CEO, Erin van Maanen, said, “That means we’ll get more energy out of every drop of water, and we’ll be more responsive to fluctuations in demand and supply.”
Preparing for the future
While it is already the country’s biggest renewable energy generator, Hydro Tasmania is looking to transform its network in response to a rising demand for energy and the industry transition to variable renewable sources like wind and solar.
The upgrade of its current assets complements Hydro Tasmania’s proposed plans to redevelop the Tarraleah Hydropower Scheme and build pumped hydro at Lake Cethana to further increase its flexible capacity.
Ms van Maanen said that while Hydro Tasmania’s hydropower system has played a significant role in fueling the state’s economic growth, it cannot stand still in time.
“Investing in our infrastructure will prepare us for a new era of Tasmanian hydropower that will help meet the state’s energy demands now and in the future,” Ms van Maanen said.
“And it will allow us to provide more flexible generation and storage to fill in the gaps from wind and solar, which can generate too much or not enough depending on the weather. This storage is critically needed in a future energy market dominated by renewables.”
Major upgrades are already underway at Gordon and Poatina, the biggest power stations in the Hydro Tasmania fleet.
The mighty Gordon Power Station
Officially opened in 1978, Gordon Power Station in Tasmania’s south-west has a capacity of 432MW and supplies up to 13 per cent of the state’s energy.
The $78 million project to refurbish two of Gordon’s three turbines will add another 30 years of life to the machines. The most complex aspect is the removal and transport of the turbines’ massive 173t stators.
Hydro Tasmania Executive General Manager of Assets and Infrastructure, Jesse Clark, said the works had taken years to plan, with the process complicated by the fact the power station is 183m underground.
“The engineering and logistical planning that has gone into the upgrades is phenomenal,” Mr Clark said.
“We have a lot of skilled people working in a restricted space, deep underground, lifting and moving pieces of equipment that weigh more than a blue whale.”
The upgrades are being carried out by 60 workers who are housed at nearby Pedder Wilderness Lodge, which has been renovated and expanded to accommodate the workforce.
“While working on the upgrades, the team has been living on site away from their family and friends, and we are grateful for all the work and time they’ve put into this project,” Mr Clark said.
With disassembly of machine number two currently underway, it will be refurbished, reassembled, and recommissioned over the next 12 months. Refurbishment of machine number one will commence in 2027.
General Electric components for the project have been imported from China, Italy and France, while Hydro Tasmania and local contractors are performing the on-site work.
The turbine upgrades are part of a $259 million program of refurbishments at the Gordon–Pedder Scheme that started in 2019.
Revamping Poatina Power Station
Significant upgrades are also underway at Poatina Power Station, a 360MW project in Tasmania’s Central Highlands.
The $200 million upgrades will see all six machines have their Pelton turbine upgraded to a newer model from Austrian company Andritz, with other parts coming from Switzerland.
Poatina was officially opened in 1965 and is located in a massive artificial cavern 150m underground. The power station makes use of the steep drop from yingina / Great Lake down the face of the Great Western Tiers, a collection of mountain bluffs that form the northern edge of the Central Highlands plateau.
Machine number three was the first turbine to be commissioned at the station in 1964 and, after more than 60 years of use, it’s now the first to be upgraded.
Julian Quinn, who started at Poatina ten years ago as a generation technician, is now overseeing the upgrades as site manager.
“Most people who work at Hydro Tasmania have a favourite power station. Each one has its own special features and quirks that make it unique,” Mr Quinn said.
“For me, you can’t beat Poatina. Even after ten years, I get a huge buzz every time I go down into the station.”
The works on the third turbine include electrical and mechanical refurbishments that will make the machine more efficient. The control system will also be upgraded to provide data on how the machine is functioning for future maintenance planning.
“The brains – how the machine is controlled – will be completely different, with a new electronic system that controls the machine and feeds back information on its condition,” Mr Quinn said.
Hydro Tasmania also performs the removal and installation process of all the upgraded parts, including the removal of the 124t rotor.
The refurbishments for the upgrades are being done right at home in Hobart at Hydro Tasmania’s Cambridge workshop, a unique and valuable asset, working with specialised equipment and infrastructure.
The workshop team features machinists, fitters, boilermakers, welders, fabricators, trades assistants and apprentices. It’s here that all the parts are being fine-tuned by the highly skilled team.
With some of Hydro Tasmania’s assets having been built decades ago, they require equipment and machinery to be specially tailored depending on the power station.
“We operate one of the most complex hydropower systems in the world,” Mr Clark said.
“Having our own workshop means we have a dedicated team of specialists in Hobart who can be responsive and cater for these requirements when significant upgrades are underway.
“The workshop provides us with our in-house capability to do our heavy machining and refurbishment of key components to implement into those refurbs and keep the machines going for another generation.”
Over the next decade, Hydro Tasmania’s capital works program will fortify the network and drive the state’s economy and jobs well into the future.
Featured image: Hydro Tasmania employees at the Gordon Power Station. Image: Hydro Tasmania
