Wayatinah Power Station
| Company type | Power station |
|---|---|
| Industry | Hydroelectric power |
| Founded | 1957 |
| Founder | Hydro Electric Corporation (TAS) |
| Headquarters | Central Highlands , Australia |
| Products | Electricity generation |
| Owner | Hydro Tasmania |
The Wayatinah Power Station is a run-of-the-river hydroelectric facility situated within Tasmania's Central Highlands area. It lies within the Lower River Derwent catchment and is under the ownership and management of Hydro Tasmania.
Technical details
As the sixth installation in the sequence of eleven hydroelectric plants comprising the Derwent scheme, Wayatinah Power Station ranks second among those in the lower run-of-river section. This aboveground station is positioned downstream of Wayatinah Lagoon, a minor reservoir created by the rock-filled Wayatinah Dam on the Derwent River, located below where the Nive River merges. The lagoon receives water from both the Derwent River and spillover from Liapootah Dam. From there, water is channeled through a tunnel into two low-pressure woodstave pipelines, each extending , before descending via three steel penstocks over a vertical drop of to reach the power station. Flow regulation at the intake is managed by two vertical lift gates, while each penstock is equipped with a hilltop valve that allows complete flow shut-off.
Commissioned in 1957 by the Hydro Electric Corporation (TAS), this facility contains three English Electric Francis turbines with a combined generating capacity of . Each turbine features an embedded spiral casing, with water flow controlled through spherical rotary main inlet valves and turbine relief valves designed to mitigate overpressure risks. The station produces roughly annually, delivering electricity into the TasNetworks transmission system via an 11 kV/220 kV English Electric generator transformer connected to an outdoor switchyard. Additionally, an 11 kV indoor switchgear system distributes power locally from Wayatinah village to , supplying other power stations including Liapootah, Catagunya, Repulse, and Cluny.
See also
External links
- Hydro Tasmania page on the Lower Derwent