Pieman River Power Development was a major 1970s and 1980s

hydroelectric Hydroelectricity, or hydroelectric power, is Electricity generation, electricity generated from hydropower (water power). Hydropower supplies 15% of the world's electricity, almost 4,210 TWh in 2023, which is more than all other Renewable energ ...

development of the

Pieman River The Pieman River is a major perennial river located in the west coast region of Tasmania, Australia. Course and features Formed by the confluence of the Mackintosh River and Murchison River, the Pieman River rises in what is now known as La ...

and its tributaries on the west coast of

Tasmania Tasmania (; palawa kani: ''Lutruwita'') is an island States and territories of Australia, state of Australia. It is located to the south of the Mainland Australia, Australian mainland, and is separated from it by the Bass Strait. The sta ...

Development

The ''Pieman River Power Development'' was approved by the Tasmanian government in 1971, construction began in 1974 and it was completed in 1987. page 24 The damming of the river was the subject of a struggle between conservation groups and

Hydro Tasmania Hydro Tasmania, formerly the Hydro-Electric Commission (HEC), is a Tasmanian Government business enterprise which is the main electricity generator in Tasmania, Australia. Originally oriented towards hydro-electricity, owing to Tasmania's dr ...

, similar to

Lake Pedder Lake Pedder, once a glacial outwash lake, is a man-made impoundment and diversion lake located in South West Tasmania, Australia. In addition to its natural catchment from the Frankland Range, the lake is formed by the 1972 damming of the ...

. The struggle went relatively unnoticed on mainland Australia - and it was the proposed

Franklin Dam The Gordon-below-Franklin Dam (or simply Franklin Dam) project was a proposed dam on the Gordon River in Tasmania, Australia, that was never constructed. The movement that eventually led to the project's cancellation became one of the most sign ...

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:- *

Lake Murchison 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 Riv ...

and Murchison Dam * Lake Mackintosh, Tullabardine Dam and Mackintosh Dam (

Mackintosh Power Station The Mackintosh Power Station is a conventional hydroelectric power station located in Western Tasmania, Australia. Technical details Part of the Pieman River scheme that comprises four hydroelectric power stations, the Mackintosh Power Station ...

), commissioned in 1982 * Lake Rosebery and Bastyan Dam (

Bastyan Power Station The Bastyan Power Station is a conventional hydroelectric power station located in Western Tasmania, Australia. Technical details Part of the Pieman River scheme that comprises four hydroelectric power stations, the Bastyan Power Station is t ...

), commissioned in 1983 * Lake Pieman and Reece Dam (

Reece Power Station The Reece Power Station is a conventional hydroelectric power station located in the West Coast region of Tasmania, Australia. Technical details Part of the Pieman River scheme that comprises four hydroelectric power stations, the Reece Powe ...

), commissioned in 1986/1987 It also included work on the two major tributaries of the Pieman, the

Mackintosh The Mackintosh raincoat (abbreviated as mac) is a form of waterproof raincoat, first sold in 1824, made of rubberised textile, fabric. The Mackintosh is named after its Scotland, Scottish inventor Charles Macintosh, although many writers adde ...

and the Murchison rivers.

Legacy

It remains Hydro Tasmania's most successfully 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 The Henty River is a perennial river in the West Coast region of Tasmania, Australia. The river generally lies north of and south of . Location and features Formed by the confluence of the Dobson and Newton Creeks, the river rises below Lake ...

developments that followed required specifically challenging engineering on the part of Hydro, but were smaller projects in duration.

References

External links

*{{cite web , url=http://www.hydro.com.au/home/Tourism+and+Recreation/Pieman+Catchment/ , archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20041204133432/http://www.hydro.com.au/home/Tourism+and+Recreation/Pieman+Catchment/ , url-status=dead , archive-date=2004-12-04 , title=The Pieman Catchment , publisher=

Western Tasmania Hydro Tasmania development schemes

Development

Legacy

See also

References

External links