Paloona Power Station

Paloona Dam
The Paloona Power Station located below the Paloona Dam wall
Location of the Paloona Dam in Tasmania
Country	Australia
Location	Northern Tasmania
Coordinates	41°16′48″S146°14′24″E / 41.28000°S 146.24000°E / -41.28000; 146.24000 Coordinates: 41°16′48″S146°14′24″E / 41.28000°S 146.24000°E / -41.28000; 146.24000
Purpose	Power
Status	Operational
Opening date	1971 (1971)
Owner(s)	Hydro Tasmania
Dam and spillways
Type of dam	Embankment dam
Impounds	Forth River
Height	43 metres (141 ft)
Length	171 metres (561 ft)
Dam volume	155 thousand cubic metres (5.5×10^6 cu ft)
Spillways	1
Spillway type	Uncontrolled side channel
Spillway capacity	2,040 cubic metres per second (72,000 cu ft/s)
Reservoir
Creates	Lake Paloona
Total capacity	19,110 megalitres (675×10^6 cu ft)
Catchment area	759 square kilometres (293 sq mi)
Surface area	17.8 hectares (44 acres)
Paloona Power Station
Coordinates	41°16′59″S146°14′56″E / 41.28306°S 146.24889°E / -41.28306; 146.24889
Operator(s)	Hydro Tasmania
Commission date	1972 (1972)
Type	Conventional
Hydraulic head	31 metres (102 ft)
Turbines	1 x 30 MW (40,000 hp) Fuji Kaplan turbine
Installed capacity	30 megawatts (40,000 hp)
Capacity factor	0.8
Annual generation	151 gigawatt-hours (540 TJ)
Website hydro.com.au/energy/our-power-stations/mersey-forth
[1]

The Paloona Power Station is a conventional hydroelectric power station located in northern Tasmania, Australia.

Technical details

Part of the Mersey – Forth scheme that comprises seven hydroelectric power stations, the Paloona Power Station is the final station in the scheme. The power station is located immediately below the rock-filled concrete faced Paloona Dam which forms Lake Paloona. Water from the lake is fed to the power station by a short single penstock under the dam. ^[2]

The power station was commissioned in 1972 by the Hydro Electric Corporation (TAS) and the station has one Fuji Kaplan turbine, with a generating capacity of 30 megawatts (40,000 hp) of electricity. The station output, estimated to be 151 gigawatt-hours (540 TJ) annually, ^[1] is fed to TasNetworks' transmission grid via an 11 kV/110 kV Siemens generator transformer to the outdoor switchyard. ^{[3] [4]}

See also

• Australia portal
• Renewable energy 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. "Mersey - Forth". Energy. Hydro Tasmania . Retrieved 3 July 2015.
3. "Paloona Power Station: Technical fact sheet" (PDF). Mersey-Forth Catchment. Hydro Tasmania. Archived from the original (PDF) on 24 September 2015. Retrieved 3 July 2015.
4. "Principal power stations in Australia". Energy Business Today. Archived from the original on 3 August 2009. Retrieved 8 January 2010.