Catagunya Power Station

Catagunya Dam
Location of the Catagunya Dam in Tasmania
Country	Australia
Location	Central Highlands Tasmania
Coordinates	42°26′24″S146°35′24″E / 42.44000°S 146.59000°E / -42.44000; 146.59000 Coordinates: 42°26′24″S146°35′24″E / 42.44000°S 146.59000°E / -42.44000; 146.59000
Purpose	Power
Status	Operational
Opening date	1962 (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 (3.2×10^6 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 (905×10^6 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″S146°35′24″E / 42.45000°S 146.59000°E / -42.45000; 146.59000
Operator(s)	Hydro Tasmania
Commission date	1960 (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.com.au/energy/our-power-stations/derwent-0/catagunya
[1]

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.

Technical details

Part 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 aboveground 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. ^[4] 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

The dam received a Historic Engineering Marker from Engineers Australia as part of its Engineering Heritage Recognition Program. ^[5]

See also

• Renewable energy portal
• Australia portal
• Water portal

• List of power stations in Tasmania

References

1. "Register of Large Dams in Australia" (Excel (requires download)). Dams information. Australian National Committee on Large Dams. 2010. Retrieved 23 June 2015.
2. "Catagunya Power Station Fact Sheet: Technical fact sheet" (PDF). Energy: Our power stations. Hydro Tasmania. Archived from the original (PDF) on 24 September 2015. Retrieved 16 January 2015.
3. "Derwent: Catagunya Power Station". Energy. Hydro Tasmania. Archived from the original on 7 July 2015. Retrieved 5 July 2015.
4. Austral Archaeology Pty Ltd; Terry, Ian (April 2007). "Catagunya Power Station—Conservation Management Plan" (PDF). Retrieved 1 February 2012.^{[ permanent dead link ]}
5. "Catagunya Dam, Derwent River, 1962-". Engineers Australia. Retrieved 27 April 2020.

External links

• Hydro Tasmania page on the Lower Derwent