Paloona Power Station
The Paloona Power Station is a conventional hydroelectric power station located in northern Tasmania, Australia.
| Paloona Dam | |
|---|---|
 The Paloona Power Station located below the Paloona Dam wall | |
  Location of the Paloona Dam in Tasmania | |
| Country | Australia |
| Location | Northern Tasmania |
| Coordinates | 41°16′48″S 146°14′24″E |
| Purpose | Power |
| Status | Operational |
| Opening date | 1971 |
| Owner(s) | Hydro Tasmania |
| Dam and spillways | |
| Type of dam | Embankment dam |
| Impounds | Forth River |
| Height | 43 metres (141 ft) |
| Length | 171 metres (561 ft) |
| Dam volume | 155 thousand cubic metres (5.5×106 cu ft) |
| Spillways | 1 |
| Spillway type | Uncontrolled side channel |
| Spillway capacity | 2,040 cubic metres per second (72,000 cu ft/s) |
| Reservoir | |
| Creates | Lake Paloona |
| Total capacity | 19,110 megalitres (675×106 cu ft) |
| Catchment area | 759 square kilometres (293 sq mi) |
| Surface area | 17.8 hectares (44 acres) |
| Paloona Power Station | |
| Coordinates | 41°16′59″S 146°14′56″E |
| Operator(s) | Hydro Tasmania |
| Commission date | 1972 |
| Type | Conventional |
| Hydraulic head | 31 metres (102 ft) |
| Turbines | 1 x 30 MW (40,000 hp) Andritz Kaplan turbine |
| Installed capacity | 30 megawatts (40,000 hp) |
| Capacity factor | 0.8 |
| Annual generation | 151 gigawatt-hours (540 TJ) |
| Website hydro | |
| [1] | |
Technical details
Part of the Mersey–Forth scheme that comprises seven hydroelectric power stations, the Paloona Power Station is the final station in the scheme. The power station is located immediately below the rock-filled concrete faced Paloona Dam which forms Lake Paloona. Water from the lake is fed to the power station by a short single penstock under the dam.[2]
The power station was commissioned in 1972 by the Hydro Electric Corporation (TAS) with a Fuji Kaplan turbine, with a generating capacity of 30 megawatts (40,000 hp) of electricity.[3]
In 2014 the turbine was upgraded to a more efficient Andritz Kaplan turbine, which also has a generating capacity of 30 megawatts (40,000 hp) of electricity.[4]
The station output, estimated to be 151 gigawatt-hours (540 TJ) annually,[1] is fed to TasNetworks' transmission grid via an 11 kV/110 kV Siemens generator transformer to the outdoor switchyard.[5]
References
- "Register of Large Dams in Australia". Dams information. Australian National Committee on Large Dams. 2010. Archived from the original (Excel (requires download)) on 12 December 2013. Retrieved 23 June 2015.
- "Mersey - Forth". Energy. Hydro Tasmania. Retrieved 3 July 2015.
- "Paloona Power Station: Mersey-Forth Catchment" (PDF). Hydro Tasmania. Archived from the original (PDF) on 24 September 2015. Retrieved 24 June 2023.
- "Paloona Power Station: Mersey-Forth Catchment" (PDF). Hydro Tasmania. Archived (PDF) from the original on 24 June 2023. Retrieved 24 June 2023.
- "Principal power stations in Australia". Energy Business Today. Archived from the original on 3 August 2009. Retrieved 8 January 2010.