Pieman River Power Development was a major 1970s and 1980s hydroelectric development of the Pieman River and its tributaries on the west coast of Tasmania.
The Pieman River Power Development was approved by the Tasmanian government in 1971, construction began in 1974 and it was completed in 1987. [1]
The damming of the river was the subject of a struggle between conservation groups and Hydro Tasmania, similar to Lake Pedder . The struggle went relatively unnoticed on mainland Australia - and it was the proposed Franklin Dam issue that was to catch a much wider Australian audience, than the damming of the Pieman or King Rivers.
The development included three power stations and five dams:-
It also included work on the two major tributaries of the Pieman, the Mackintosh and the Murchison rivers.
It remains Hydro Tasmania's most successfully[ citation needed ] multi-dammed catchment on the West Coast, and it was developed after the Upper Gordon Scheme (Lake Pedder) and was being completed in the era of the Franklin Dam controversy. It could be seen as the last major Power Development Scheme undertaken by the Hydro during its stage as an expanding dam-making enterprise. The King River and Henty River developments that followed required specifically challenging engineering on the part of Hydro, but were smaller projects in duration.
Lake Pedder, once a glacial outwash lake, is a man-made impoundment and diversion lake located in the southwest of Tasmania, Australia. In addition to its natural catchment from the Frankland Range, the lake is formed by the 1972 damming of the Serpentine and Huon rivers by the Hydro Electric Commission of Tasmania for the purposes of hydroelectric power generation.
Hydro Tasmania, known for most of its history as the Hydro-Electric Commission (HEC) or The Hydro, is the trading name of the Hydro-Electric Corporation, a Tasmanian Government business enterprise which is the predominant electricity generator in the state of Tasmania, Australia. The Hydro was originally oriented towards hydro-electricity, due to Tasmania's dramatic topography and relatively high rainfall in the central and western parts of the state. Today Hydro Tasmania operates thirty hydro-electric and one gas power station, and is a joint owner in three wind farms.
The Pieman River is a major perennial river located in the west coast region of Tasmania, Australia.
The West Coast Range is a mountain range located in the West Coast region of Tasmania, Australia.
The Bastyan Power Station is a conventional hydroelectric power station located in Western Tasmania, Australia.
The Mackintosh Power Station is a conventional hydroelectric power station located in Western Tasmania, Australia.
The Reece Power Station is a conventional hydroelectric power station located in the West Coast region of Tasmania, Australia.
The Tribute Power Station is a conventional hydroelectric power station located in Western Tasmania, Australia.
The Murchison River, part of the Pieman River catchment, is a major perennial river located in the West Coast region of Tasmania, Australia.
The Mackintosh River, part of the Pieman River catchment, is a major perennial river located in the West Coast region of Tasmania, Australia. The river was named in November 1828 by Henry Hellyer, a surveyor of the Van Diemans Land Company, in honour of Sir James Mackintosh, son of John Mackintosh of Kyllachy, Inverness-shire
South West Tasmania is a region in Tasmania that has evoked curiosity as to its resources over the duration of European presence on the island.
Lake Rosebery is a man-made water reservoir located in the West Coast region of Tasmania, Australia. The lake is situated within the northern part of Tasmania's West Coast Range and is fed by the dammed Mackintosh and Murchison rivers.
Lake Mackintosh is a 17.5-kilometre-long (10.9 mi) reservoir with a surface area of 3,100-hectare (7,700-acre) that forms part of the Pieman power development running north–south past Mount Farrell, adjacent to the town of Tullah in Tasmania.
The Sophia River, part of the Pieman River catchment, is a perennial river located in the West Coast region of Tasmania, Australia.
The Gordon Dam, also known as the Gordon River Dam, is a major gated double curvature concrete arch dam with a controlled spillway across the Gordon River, located in South West Tasmania, Australia. The impounded reservoir is called Lake Gordon.
The Scotts Peak Dam is a rockfill embankment dam without a spillway across the Huon River, located in the South West region of Tasmania, Australia.
Lake Pieman is a man-made reservoir created by the damming of the Pieman River, located in the West Coast region of Tasmania, Australia.
The Anthony Power Development Scheme, part of the Pieman River power development scheme, was a proposed scheme for damming parts of the upper catchment of the Pieman River in Western Tasmania, Australia.
The Anthony River, part of the Pieman River catchment, is a perennial river in the West Coast region of Tasmania, Australia.
Lake Murchison is a man-made water reservoir located in the western region of Tasmania, Australia. The lake is situated within the northern part of Tasmania's West Coast Range and is fed by the Murchison River, the George Creek, the Anthony River, and discharge from the Tribute Power Station.
