Paloona Dam
The Paloona Power Station located below the Paloona Dam wall
Paloona Power Station is located in Tasmania
Paloona Power Station
Location of the Paloona Dam in Tasmania
CountryAustralia
LocationNorthern Tasmania
Coordinates41°16′48″S 146°14′24″E / 41.28000°S 146.24000°E / -41.28000; 146.24000
PurposePower
StatusOperational
Opening date1971 (1971)
Owner(s)Hydro Tasmania
Dam and spillways
Type of damEmbankment dam
ImpoundsForth River
Height43 metres (141 ft)
Length171 metres (561 ft)
Dam volume155 thousand cubic metres (5.5×10^6 cu ft)
Spillways1
Spillway typeUncontrolled side channel
Spillway capacity2,040 cubic metres per second (72,000 cu ft/s)
Reservoir
CreatesLake Paloona
Total capacity19,110 megalitres (675×10^6 cu ft)
Catchment area759 square kilometres (293 sq mi)
Surface area17.8 hectares (44 acres)
Paloona Power Station
Coordinates41°16′59″S 146°14′56″E / 41.28306°S 146.24889°E / -41.28306; 146.24889
Operator(s)Hydro Tasmania
Commission date1972 (1972)
TypeConventional
Hydraulic head31 metres (102 ft)
Turbines1 x 30 MW (40,000 hp)
Andritz Kaplan turbine
Installed capacity30 megawatts (40,000 hp)
Capacity factor0.8
Annual generation151 gigawatt-hours (540 TJ)
Website
hydro.com.au/clean-energy/our-power-stations/mersey-forth
[1]

The Paloona Power Station is a conventional hydroelectric power station located in northern Tasmania, Australia.

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]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b "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.
  2. ^ "Mersey - Forth". Energy. Hydro Tasmania. Retrieved 3 July 2015.
  3. ^ "Paloona Power Station: Mersey-Forth Catchment" (PDF). Hydro Tasmania. Archived from the original (PDF) on 24 September 2015. Retrieved 24 June 2023.
  4. ^ "Paloona Power Station: Mersey-Forth Catchment" (PDF). Hydro Tasmania. Archived (PDF) from the original on 24 June 2023. Retrieved 24 June 2023.
  5. ^ "Principal power stations in Australia". Energy Business Today. Archived from the original on 3 August 2009. Retrieved 8 January 2010.


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