Hydro Tasmania
| Company type | Government-owned corporation |
|---|---|
| Industry | Electricity generation |
| Predecessor | Hydro-Electric Commission (HEC) |
| Founded | 1914 |
| Headquarters | Tasmania , Australia |
Area served | Tasmania, Australia |
| Products | Electricity generation (hydroelectric, wind, gas power) |
| Owner | Tasmanian Government |
| Website | www |
Hydro Tasmania, previously known as the Hydro-Electric Commission (HEC), operates as a Tasmanian Government state-owned enterprise and serves as the leading electricity producer within Tasmania, Australia. Originally concentrating on hydro-electricity generation due to Tasmania's distinctive landscape and abundant rainfall, Hydro Tasmania currently manages 30 hydro-electric facilities alongside one gas power plant, and maintains shared stakes in three wind farm projects.
Formation
The Hydro-Electric Department was created by the Government of Tasmania in 1914, later renamed the Hydro-Electric Commission in 1929, with the objective of constructing the initial significant hydro-electric station, the Waddamana Hydro-Electric Power Station.[1] Prior to this, private facilities such as Launceston City Council's Duck Reach Power Station (1895) and the Mount Lyell Mining & Railway Company's Lake Margaret Power Station (1914) were established; these were eventually incorporated into HEC's network. Duck Reach ceased operations in 1955, while Lake Margaret closed in 2006 but was brought back online following a multimillion-dollar refurbishment completed in 2009.
In the aftermath of World War II, the HEC became a magnet for migrants engaged in constructing dams and substations, paralleling the Snowy Mountains Scheme in New South Wales, thus fostering regional economic expansion and community growth. Initial developments targeted central Tasmania; however, as these resources diminished, focus moved toward rivers located in the western and southwestern parts of the state.
The overarching plan emphasized maximizing Tasmania’s water resources, paving the way for large-scale initiatives like the upper Gordon River scheme despite environmental protests over flooding at Lake Pedder.[2] The push for hydroelectric industrial development remained a central political and economic objective despite external criticism.
Dam construction controversies
The inundation of Lake Pedder by the HEC as part of the upper Gordon Power Development sparked environmental activism during the 1970s and 1980s, drawing attention to HEC’s substantial role in shaping Tasmania’s environment and political landscape.
Political careers within Tasmania were frequently influenced by politicians’ positions on HEC initiatives concerning power projects in the southwest and on the West Coast.
When plans emerged to build a dam on the Gordon River downstream from the Franklin River, significant opposition arose. The Franklin River 'No Dams' campaign caused rifts even among families, dividing supporters of HEC from conservation advocates.
The Tasmanian Labor Government sought to mediate by proposing an alternative dam upstream on the Olga River to prevent flooding of the Franklin. Conservationists rejected any development that would affect Franklin wilderness areas, while proponents favored harnessing water from both rivers.
A referendum presented voters with only two options: constructing a dam on the Gordon below Franklin or one above Olga. The absence of a no-dam choice attracted criticism. With a voter turnout of 92%, 47% backed the Gordon-below-Franklin dam, 8% supported the Gordon-above-Olga proposal, and 45% cast informal votes.
Eventually, conservation groups prevailed in preventing any damming of the Gordon River. The Gordon-below-Franklin Dam project was terminated in 1983 following environmental protests and a High Court decision affirming Commonwealth authority over Tasmania. The federal Hawke administration opposed the dam and intervened to halt its construction.
This resolution among State and Federal authorities and environmentalists marked an end to more than fifty years of HEC dam projects, which included works on both the Henty River and King River.
Constraints encountered
By the 1980s, both environmental advocates and the Hydro-Electric Commission (HEC) acknowledged that opportunities for new power projects were becoming scarce, anticipating that much of the HEC's workforce dedicated to dam construction would become redundant. Since the late 1990s, water reserves managed by HEC have been depleted as electricity demand surpassed sustainable supply levels—a problem originally intended to be resolved by the Gordon-below-Franklin dam. To manage this deficit, initial measures involved lowering water storage levels, followed by a shift towards increased fossil fuel generation, transitioning from oil to gas and coal facilitated by the Basslink interconnection with Victoria.
Transition from HEC to Hydro Tasmania
During the early 1990s, preparations for the National Electricity Market (NEM) and deregulation were underway in Australia's eastern states. In anticipation of Tasmania's integration into the NEM, the Hydro-Electric Commission was restructured on 1 July 1998 into three government-owned entities:
- Hydro Tasmania, responsible for electricity generation.
- Transend Networks, handling electricity transmission (which later combined with Aurora’s distribution division to form TasNetworks).
- Aurora Energy, managing electricity distribution and retail.
Tasmania officially joined the NEM in May 2005.
Beginning in the 1990s, Hydro Tasmania diversified into wind power development, initiating with the Huxley Hill Wind Farm on King Island in 1998, followed by two Woolnorth wind farms with a combined capacity of 140MW. The Musselroe Wind Farm, completed in 2013, contributed an additional 168MW.
Although privatisation was proposed as a means to enhance revenue and operational efficiency—with support from the Liberal Party in the 1990s—current public opinion and political agreement favor retaining public ownership.
The 2000s marked an end to significant new hydroelectric projects for Hydro Tasmania, exemplified by developments such as Anthony Power Development. The 2008 "1,000 GWH Project" focused on upgrading existing facilities and furthered Hydro Tasmania’s commitment to achieving carbon neutrality. By 2020, Tasmania reached an annual renewable electricity output of approximately 10 TWh, aligning with its average consumption needs.
2016 energy crisis
In early 2016, Tasmania experienced record-low water levels alongside a Basslink cable failure that disconnected the mainland link for nearly six months, precipitating a severe power crisis. Following Basslink's commissioning in 2006, the Bell Bay Power Station was retired in 2009, reducing generating capacity by , leaving only the Tamar Valley Power Station as a non-hydroelectric facility. Initially decommissioned and intended for sale, Tamar Valley was reactivated during this emergency, restoring roughly of capacity. Furthermore, diesel generators totaling were brought in from the mainland to mitigate supply shortages.
Subsidiaries
- Entura functions as Hydro Tasmania's consulting arm, providing expertise in planning, designing, constructing, operating, and maintaining energy and water infrastructure projects.
- Momentum Energy became a wholly owned subsidiary of Hydro Tasmania in 2009 and operates as an energy retailer.
Gas (thermal)
| Power station | Coordinates | Max. Capacity (MW) | Turbines | Fuel type |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bell Bay (decommissioned) | Lua error: callParserFunction: function "#coordinates" was not found. | 0 | natural gas |
Gas turbine
| Power facility | Location coordinates | Maximum Output (MW) | Number of Turbines | Fuel source | Combined cycle |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tamar Valley | Lua error: callParserFunction: function "#coordinates" was not found. | 208 | 1 | natural gas | yes |
| Tamar Valley | Lua error: callParserFunction: function "#coordinates" was not found. | 178 | 4 | natural gas | no |
Hydroelectric
| Facility name | Coordinates | Maximum Capacity (MW) | Number of Turbines |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bastyan | Lua error: callParserFunction: function "#coordinates" was not found. | 79.9 | 1 |
| Butlers Gorge | Lua error: callParserFunction: function "#coordinates" was not found. | 12.2 | 1 |
| Catagunya | Lua error: callParserFunction: function "#coordinates" was not found. | 48 | 2 |
| Cethana | Lua error: callParserFunction: function "#coordinates" was not found. | 90 | 1 |
| Facility | Coordinates | Maximum Capacity (MW) | Number of Turbines |
|---|
|
2272.45 |
} Wind farms}See alsoFurther readingPublications by Hydro Tasmania
Additional resources
External links
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- ↑ The Hydro after 100 Years EHA Magazine March 2015 pages 16-19
- ↑ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2123: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).