The Catagunya Power Station is a run-of-the-river[2] hydroelectric power station located in the Central Highlands region of Tasmania, Australia. The power station is situated on the Lower River Derwent catchment and is owned and operated by Hydro Tasmania.
| Catagunya Dam | |
|---|---|
  Location of the Catagunya Dam in Tasmania | |
| Country | Australia |
| Location | Central Highlands Tasmania |
| Coordinates | 42°26′24″S 146°35′24″E / 42.44000°S 146.59000°E |
| Purpose | Power |
| Status | Operational |
| Opening date | 1962 |
| Owner(s) | Hydro Tasmania |
| Dam and spillways | |
| Type of dam | Gravity dam |
| Impounds | River Derwent |
| Height | 49 metres (161 ft) |
| Length | 282 metres (925 ft) |
| Dam volume | 92 thousand cubic metres (3.2×106 cu ft) |
| Spillways | 1 |
| Spillway type | Uncontrolled |
| Spillway capacity | 3,594 cubic metres per second (126,900 cu ft/s) |
| Reservoir | |
| Creates | Lake Catagunya |
| Total capacity | 25,640 megalitres (905×106 cu ft) |
| Catchment area | 2,713 square kilometres (1,047 sq mi) |
| Surface area | 21.9 hectares (54 acres) |
| Catagunya Power Station | |
| Coordinates | 42°27′00″S 146°35′24″E / 42.45000°S 146.59000°E |
| Operator(s) | Hydro Tasmania |
| Commission date | 1960 |
| Type | Run-of-the-river |
| Hydraulic head | 44 metres (144 ft) |
| Turbines | 2 x 25 MW (34,000 hp) Boving Francis-type turbines |
| Installed capacity | 48 megawatts (64,000 hp) |
| Capacity factor | 0.8 |
| Annual generation | 237 gigawatt-hours (850 TJ) |
| Website hydro | |
| [1] | |
Technical details
editPart of the Derwent scheme that comprises eleven hydroelectric power stations, the Catagunya Power Station is the seventh power station in the scheme and the third power station in the lower run-of-river system. The power station is located above ground, below Lake Catagunya, a small storage created by the rock-filled Catagunya Dam on the Derwent River below its junction with the Nive River. Water from the Derwent from Liapootah Power Station and spill from Liapootah Dam flows into Wayatinah Lagoon. Water in the lagoon is diverted by a 2-kilometre (1.2 mi)-long tunnel to two low pressure woodstave pipelines, each 1.3 kilometres (0.81 mi) long. It then descends 56 metres (184 ft) through three steel penstocks to the Wayatinah Power Station. The tunnel intake structure is provided with two vertical lift, gravity close intake gates designed to cut off full flow. Each of the three steel penstocks is provided with a hilltop valve designed to close under full flow.[2][3]
The power station was commissioned in 1962 by the Hydro Electric Corporation (TAS) and the station has two 25-megawatt (34,000 hp) Boving Francis-type turbines, with a combined generating capacity of 48 megawatts (64,000 hp) of electricity. Within the station building, each turbine has a semi-embedded spiral casing, and water flow is controlled via twin radial gates installed at the entrance to each penstock and designed to cut off full flow. No inlet valves are installed in the station. The station output, estimated to be 237 gigawatt-hours (850 TJ) annually,[1] is fed to TasNetworks' transmission grid via two 11 kV/220 kV ASEA generator transformers to the outdoor switchyard.[2]
Engineering heritage
editThe dam received a Historic Engineering Marker from Engineers Australia as part of its Engineering Heritage Recognition Program.[4]
See also
edit
References
edit- ^ 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.
- ^ a b c "Catagunya Power Station Fact Sheet: Technical fact sheet" (PDF). Energy: Our power stations. Hydro Tasmania. Archived (PDF) from the original on 18 June 2023. Retrieved 18 June 2023.
- ^ "Derwent: Catagunya Power Station". Energy. Hydro Tasmania. Archived from the original on 4 March 2022. Retrieved 18 June 2023.
- ^ "Catagunya Dam, Derwent River, 1962-". Engineers Australia. Retrieved 27 April 2020.
External links
edit- Hydro Tasmania page on the Lower Derwent