John Butters Power Station
| Company type | Hydroelectric power station |
|---|---|
| Industry | Energy |
| Founded | 1992 |
| Headquarters | Western Tasmania , Australia |
| Products | Electricity generation |
| Owner | Hydro Tasmania |
The John Butters Power Station is a traditional hydroelectric facility situated in Western Tasmania, Australia. It forms a component of the King–Yolande River Power Scheme and is managed and owned by Hydro Tasmania.
Technical details
As one of three hydroelectric plants within the King–Yolande scheme, the John Butters Power Station is supplied with water from Lake Burbury, which is impounded by Crotty Dam located between Mount Jukes and Mount Huxley, as well as from Darwin Dam positioned to the south. Water is conveyed to the station through a 6.5 km headrace tunnel originating at Crotty Dam, followed by a 500 m steel-lined power tunnel.
Commissioned in 1992 under the Hydro-Electric Corporation prior to its rebranding as Hydro Tasmania, this facility employs a single Fuji Francis turbine capable of producing 144 MW. The turbine assembly includes a partially embedded spiral casing, a spherical rotary inlet valve, and a vertical lift intake gate engineered for complete flow shutoff. The station generates roughly 576 GWh annually, feeding electricity into the TasNetworks transmission network via a 13.8 kV/220 kV three-phase Fuji generator transformer.
Control of operations is conducted remotely from the Sheffield Control Centre.
Etymology
The station bears the name of John Butters, who served as Hydro Tasmania's inaugural general manager and chief engineer.
During the initial planning stages of the King power scheme, this facility was designated as the Newall Power station. This title was derived from local geographical features such as Newall Spur near Mount Jukes and Newall Creek, areas historically associated with mining activity.