The Gordon Power Station is the largest conventional

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 ...

power station A power station, also referred to as a power plant and sometimes generating station or generating plant, is an industrial facility for the electricity generation, generation of electric power. Power stations are generally connected to an electr ...

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 ...

, Australia; located in the

South West Southwest is a compass point. Southwest, south-west, south west, southwestern or south-western or south western may also refer to: * Southwest (direction), an intercardinal direction Geography *South West Queensland, Australia *South West (Weste ...

region of the state. The power station is situated on

Gordon River The Gordon River is a major perennial river located in the central highlands, south-west, and western regions of Tasmania, Australia. Course and features The Gordon River rises below Mount Hobhouse in the Franklin-Gordon Wild Rivers Nation ...

. Water from

Lake Gordon Lake Gordon is a man-made reservoir created by the Gordon Dam, located on the upper reaches of the Gordon River in the south-west region of Tasmania, Australia. Features The reservoir was formed in the early 1970s as a result of the dam const ...

descends underground past the

Gordon Dam The Gordon Dam, also known as the Gordon River Dam, is a major gated double curvature concrete arch dam with a controlled Spillway#Types, spillway across the Gordon River, located in Southwest National Park, Tasmania, Australia. The impounded r ...

and into the power station. The power station was opened in 1978. In 2024, the station underwent a refurbishment.

Technical data

The Gordon Power Station system comprises three

Francis-type The Francis turbine is a type of water turbine. It is an inward-flow reaction turbine that combines radial and axial flow concepts. Francis turbines are the most common water turbine in use today, and can achieve over 95% efficiency. The pro ...

turbines A turbine ( or ) (from the Greek , ''tyrbē'', or Latin ''turbo'', meaning vortex) is a rotary mechanical device that extracts energy from a fluid flow and converts it into useful work. The work produced can be used for generating electrical ...

that have a combined generating capacity of of electricity, covering about 13% of the electricity demand of Tasmania. The first two turbines were commissioned in 1978, before the third was commissioned a decade later in 1988. The power station is fuelled by water from

. Water from

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 ...

is also drawn into Lake Gordon through the McPartlans Pass Canal. The station output is fed from each machine by 18 kV aluminium busbars to the surface switchyard then passes through three 18/220 kV power transformers and 220 kV outdoor switchgear to

TasNetworks TasNetworks is a Government of Tasmania State owned company that is responsible for electricity transmission and distribution throughout Tasmania, Australia. It also owns and operates a telecommunications network throughout the state. TasNetw ...

' transmission grid. The switchyard also houses 22 kV apparatus used for power supply to the station and to the local community. The annual output is estimated to be .

2016 Tasmanian energy crisis

Due to drought, the

Basslink The Basslink () electricity interconnector is a high-voltage direct current (HVDC) cable linking the electricity grids of the states of Victoria and Tasmania in Australia, crossing Bass Strait, connecting the Loy Yang Power Station, Victori ...

power feed failure and Tasmanian energy needs, in early 2016, the water levels in Lake Gordon were at the lowest ever recorded (55 meters below capacity). By January 2017 they had recovered 17 meters to 28 meters below capacity. Four years later, in June 2021, the water level had increased only 3 meters to -25 meters. Between June 2021 and June 2023, the water level decreased 4 metres to 29 meters below capacity.

Gallery

File:Gordon Power Station Control Valve.jpg, Main shut off rotary ball valve for second turbine. File:Gordon Power Station Stator and Rotor.jpg, Slip Rings for second turbine.

References

External links

the Gordon – Pedder

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 ...

{{Western Tasmania Energy infrastructure completed in 1978 Energy infrastructure completed in 1988 Gordon River power development scheme Hydroelectric power stations in Tasmania Energy crisis, 2016 1978 establishments in Australia