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Hydroelectricity, also known as hydropower, is a renewable energy source that powers homes and businesses across Australia. There are over 120 hydroelectric power stations in Australia, with most located in the southeast, where rainfall and elevation are highest. The Snowy Mountains Hydro-electric Scheme is the largest hydro scheme in Australia, accounting for around half of the country's total hydroelectricity generation capacity. Hydroelectric power is created when water from reservoirs, rivers, and waterfalls is channelled through turbines to generate electricity.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Number of hydroelectric power stations | More than 120 |
| Location | New South Wales, Victoria, Queensland, Tasmania, South Australia, Western Australia |
| Top 5 hydroelectric power stations | Wivenhoe, Tumut 3, Gordon, Murray 1, Murray 2 |
| Largest hydroelectric power plant | Snowy Hydro |
| Total capacity of Snowy Hydro | 5,500 megawatts |
| Snowy 2.0 capacity | 2,200 megawatts |
| Snowy 2.0 energy storage | 350,000 megawatt hours |
| Oldest hydroelectric power plant | Thargomindah |
| Year of operation of Thargomindah | 1891-1951 |
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What You'll Learn
Snowy Mountains Hydro-Electric Scheme
Australia has over 120 operating hydroelectric power stations, with most located in the southeast of the country. The most well-known of these is the Snowy Mountains Hydro-Electric Scheme, often referred to as the Snowy Scheme or Snowy Hydro.
The Snowy Scheme is a complex integrated water and hydroelectric power generator in southeast Australia, near the border of New South Wales and Victoria. The Scheme consists of 16 major dams, eight or nine power stations, two pumping stations, and 145 to 225 kilometres of tunnels, pipelines, and aqueducts. The Scheme is the largest engineering project ever undertaken in Australia and is considered one of the modern world's civil engineering wonders.
The Snowy Mountains Hydro-Electric Scheme was officially launched in 1949 and opened in 1972. Over 100,000 people worked on the project, with migrants from about 30 countries making up around 65% of the workforce. The Scheme's primary function is water management, but it also delivers electricity to the National Electricity Market, generating approximately 67% of all renewable energy in the mainland market. The Scheme also plays a significant role in providing water security to the Murray-Darling Basin, delivering about 2,100 gigalitres of water annually, supporting an irrigated agriculture industry worth about A$3 billion per year.
The Scheme was first proposed in 1937 by the British engineering consultancy Rendel, Palmer & Tritton, who recommended building a 250-megawatt hydro-electric project on the Snowy River. However, the proposal was not acted on due to the outbreak of World War II. After the war, public opinion shifted towards using the water for electricity generation, and in 1949, the Snowy Mountains Hydro-Electric Power Act was passed, enabling the formation of the Snowy Mountains Hydroelectric Authority, which was responsible for the evaluation, design, and construction of the Scheme.
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Wivenhoe Power Station
Hydroelectricity is a major source of renewable energy in Australia, with over 120 operating power stations across the country. One of these power stations is the Wivenhoe Power Station, located in southeast Queensland's Wivenhoe Pocket, between Splityard Creek Dam and Lake Wivenhoe, 50km west of Brisbane.
The Wivenhoe Power Station is owned and operated by CleanCo Queensland, a Queensland Government-owned corporation. The contract to build the power station was awarded in 1978, and it began commercial operation in 1984. The Wivenhoe Power Station is Queensland's first pumped-storage scheme, allowing the power station to be controlled remotely from Brisbane. Its centrifugal pumps were the largest in the world at the time of installation, each weighing 1,500 tonnes. The power station has two Francis-type turbines with a capacity of 250MW each, making them Australia's largest. The Wivenhoe Power Station has a total installed capacity of 500MW (670,000 hp).
The Wivenhoe Power Station is connected to the Wivenhoe Dam, an earth-fill embankment dam with a concrete spillway. The dam is 59 meters high and 2,300 meters long and has five steel gates that control the release of water downstream. The Wivenhoe Dam can store just over 1.0 million megalitres of drinking water and helps mitigate the risk of flooding downstream by holding back almost 2.0 million megalitres of flood waters. The Splityard Creek Dam has sufficient capacity for 10 hours of continuous power generation. The Wivenhoe Power Station acts as a large rechargeable battery, able to generate electricity at a moment's notice.
The Wivenhoe Power Station is unique among conventional hydropower plants, as it recycles its own water rather than depending on water released from rivers or dams. In addition to the Wivenhoe Power Station, there is also a smaller hydro-electric power station known as Wivenhoe Small Hydro, powered by water discharging from the Wivenhoe Dam into the Brisbane River. This smaller station has a power output of 4.5 MW.
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Murray Region Hydroelectric Power Stations
Hydroelectricity is a major source of renewable energy in Australia, with the country boasting over 120 operational power stations. Hydropower works by using the force of water to spin a turbine that generates electricity. The amount of electricity produced depends on factors such as the amount of flowing water and the height from which it falls.
The Murray Region Hydroelectric Power Stations refer to two of the original seven hydroelectric power stations in Australia. Both power stations are located near the town of Khancoban in the Snowy Mountains region of New South Wales. The two power stations are part of the Snowy Mountains Scheme, a vast hydroelectricity and irrigation complex constructed in southeast Australia between 1949 and 1974 and now run by Snowy Hydro. The stations are not located on the Murray River.
The first of the two power stations, Murray 1, is located 6.5 km southeast of Khancoban along the Alpine Way. Completed in 1967, it is a conventional gravity-fed hydroelectric power station with ten vertical Francis, Boving Engineering turbines, each fitted with ASEA-manufactured generators. The power station has a combined generating capacity of 950 MW of electricity, sufficient to power 95,000 homes.
The second power station, Murray 2, is located 2.5 km south of Khancoban, also along the Alpine Way. Completed in 1969, it has four vertical Francis turbines manufactured in Japan, each coupled with ASEA generators, with a combined generating capacity of 550 MW of electricity. This site marked the first use of Japanese supply of large electrical and mechanical components in the Snowy Scheme.
Although the two Murray Region Hydroelectric Power Stations are physically located in New South Wales, all power generated has been allocated to the Victorian region of the National Electricity Market since 2008.
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Tasmania's hydropower schemes
Hydroelectricity is a major source of renewable energy in Australia, with over 120 operating power stations across the country. Hydropower works by using the force of water to spin a turbine that generates electricity.
Tasmania has long been a centre for hydropower generation in Australia. Hydro Tasmania operates 30 hydroelectric power stations and one gas power station, and is a joint owner of three wind farms. The Tarraleah Hydropower Scheme has been one of Tasmania's most important power schemes for over 80 years and is an icon of the Derwent Valley. The Australian government has committed $65 million to support Hydro Tasmania in progressing works on Tarraleah, including completing upgrade works to ensure the scheme's future viability.
Another key hydropower scheme in Tasmania is the Gordon Power Station, which is located on the Gordon River in the southwest of the state. It is Tasmania's largest conventional hydroelectric power plant.
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Queensland's hydropower plants
Queensland has several hydropower plants that contribute to Australia's renewable energy generation. Hydropower is a major source of renewable energy in Australia, with over 120 operating power stations across the country. The state of Queensland is home to a number of these power stations, including the Wivenhoe Power Station, which is located in southeast Queensland's Wivenhoe Pocket, between the Splityard Creek Dam and Lake Wivenhoe. This pumped-storage hydroelectric power plant is owned and operated by CleanCo Queensland and has a total installed capacity of 500MW.
Another notable hydropower plant in Queensland is the Murray 1 Hydroelectric Power Station, which is located in the Snowy Mountains region of New South Wales, close to the town of Khancoban. This power station is one of two Murray Region Hydroelectric Power Stations owned and operated by Snowy Hydro. Equipped with 10 Francis-type Boving turbines, Murray 1 has an annual electricity generation capacity of 1,413 gigawatt-hours (GWh), sufficient to power 95,000 homes.
In addition to these larger power stations, Queensland also has smaller hydropower plants, such as the one in Thargomindah, a small town in rural Queensland. Thargomindah was the first town in Australia to produce hydroelectric power for street lighting, using water pressure from the Artesian Basin. This hydropower plant operated from 1893 to 1951, after which diesel generators were installed. Thargomindah was connected to the electricity grid in 1988.
Queensland Hydro, a publicly owned entity established by the Queensland Government, is also actively involved in the development of pumped hydro assets, aiming to secure a clean energy future for the state. Queensland Hydro supports various initiatives, such as the Gympie Science and Engineering Challenge, and offers community grants to local groups in the Gympie and Somerset areas.
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Frequently asked questions
There are over 120 hydroelectric power stations in Australia, with most located in the south-east, particularly in New South Wales and Tasmania.
Hydroelectric power is created when water from reservoirs, rivers, and waterfalls is channelled through water turbines. The pressure of the flowing water on the turbine blades causes the shaft to rotate, and the rotating shaft drives an electrical generator, which converts the motion into electrical energy.
There are three types of hydropower plants in Australia: impoundment plants, diversion plants, and pumped storage plants. Impoundment plants are the most common and work by storing and releasing water to generate electricity. Diversion plants force water to flow through canals, and pumped storage plants work like batteries, allowing water to be stored and used when demand is high.
Some of the major hydroelectric power stations in Australia include the Snowy Mountains Hydro-Electric Scheme, Wivenhoe Power Station, Tumut 3, Gordon Power Station, and Murray Region Hydroelectric Power Stations.
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