The Trevallyn Power Station is a

run-of-the-river Run-of-river hydroelectricity (ROR) or run-of-the-river hydroelectricity is a type of hydroelectric generation plant whereby little or no water storage is provided. Run-of-the-river power plants may have no water storage at all or a limited amo ...

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 generation of electric power. Power stations are generally connected to an electrical grid. Many p ...

located in the northern

Midlands The Midlands (also referred to as Central England) are a part of England that broadly correspond to the Mercia, Kingdom of Mercia of the Early Middle Ages, bordered by Wales, Northern England and Southern England. The Midlands were important in ...

region of

Tasmania ) , nickname = , image_map = Tasmania in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of Tasmania in AustraliaCoordinates: , subdivision_type = Country , subdi ...

, Australia. The power station is situated on the Great Lake and South Esk catchment and is owned and operated by

Hydro Tasmania 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 i ...

Technical details

Part of the Great Lake and South Esk scheme that comprises three hydroelectric power stations, the Trevallyn Power Station is the final station and is located adjacent to the

Tamar River The Tamar River, officially kanamaluka / River Tamar, is a estuary located in northern Tasmania, Australia. Despite being called a river, the waterway is a brackish and tidal estuary over its entire length. Location and features Formed by the ...

north of Launceston, making use of daily flows down the South Esk River. A dam on the South Esk River diverts water through a -long penstock pipeline to the power station. Water flows underground for its entirety except for a short, -long, portion that leaves the ground near Pitt Avenue due to a valley intersecting the tunnel's course. The pipeline splits underground into four smaller pipes immediately before entry into the station's turbines. The water enters the penstock tunnel above sea level and leaves the power station at sea level, entering the

via the Tailrace Bay on Tie-Tree Bend. Trevallyn and Poatina are the only hydroelectric power stations currently located in the drainage basin of the South Esk River. The tunnel through which the pipeline runs is cut through

dolerite Diabase (), also called dolerite () or microgabbro, is a mafic, holocrystalline, subvolcanic rock equivalent to volcanic basalt or plutonic gabbro. Diabase dikes and sills are typically shallow intrusive bodies and often exhibit fine-grained ...

and was excavated by a French tunnelling company. The bay that the used water is discharged into was excavated using mostly steam driven equipment and tram ways with the two tailing mounds now forming the Tailrace Park (south side) and the Tailrace Convention Center (north side). The Tailrace Bay has been adapted to serve recreational purposed and also provides a safe anchorage for yachts. The power station was commissioned in 1955 by the Hydro Electric Corporation (TAS), replacing the

Duck Reach Power Station Duck Reach Power Station was the first publicly owned hydro-electric plant in the Southern Hemisphere, and provided the Tasmanian city of Launceston with hydro-electric power from its construction in 1895 to its closure in 1955. Constructio ...

. The station has two

English Electric N.º UIC: 9094 110 1449-3 (Takargo Rail) The English Electric Company Limited (EE) was a British industrial manufacturer formed after the Armistice of 11 November 1918, armistice of World War I by amalgamating five businesses which, during t ...

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 proc ...

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 by a turbine can be used for generating e ...

and two English Electric Francis-type turbines, with a combined generating capacity of of electricity. Within the station building, each turbine has a fully embedded spiral casing. A main inlet valve is located in the station immediately upstream of each turbine for maintenance and security purposes. No. 1 and no. 2 machines are equipped with a turbine relief (bypass) valve to reduce pressure rise in the turbine and penstock during rapid guide vane closure. The station output, estimated to be annually, is fed to TasNetworks' transmission grid via two three-phase

Alstom Alstom SA is a French multinational rolling stock manufacturer operating worldwide in rail transport markets, active in the fields of passenger transportation, signalling, and locomotives, with products including the AGV, TGV, Eurostar, Av ...

generator transformers and two 3-phase English Electric generator transformers to the outdoor switchyard. Water is discharged into the Tamar River at sea level by an open tailrace channel. The construction village, named Marrawaylee, is now part of the suburb of West Riverside and is accessed by Pomona Road. The power station and the open land for the transmission lines now serves as a border between the Launceston suburbs of Riverside and Trevallyn.

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External links

page o
the Trevallyn Power Development
{{EnergyTasmania Energy infrastructure completed in 1955 Hydroelectric power stations in Tasmania Buildings and structures in Launceston, Tasmania Tamar River 1955 establishments in Australia

Technical details

See also

References

External links