The Tumut Hydroelectric Power Stations () is a series of three

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 stations on the

Tumut River The Tumut River (), a perennial stream that is part of the Murrumbidgee catchment within the Murray–Darling basin, is located in the Snowy Mountains and South West Slopes districts of New South Wales, Australia. Location and features The T ...

New South Wales New South Wales (commonly abbreviated as NSW) is a States and territories of Australia, state on the Eastern states of Australia, east coast of :Australia. It borders Queensland to the north, Victoria (state), Victoria to the south, and South ...

, Australia, that are part of the

Snowy Mountains Scheme The Snowy Mountains Scheme, also known as the Snowy Hydro or the Snowy scheme, is a hydroelectricity and irrigation in Australia, irrigation complex in south-east Australia. Near the border of New South Wales and Victoria (Australia), Victoria, ...

. The generating assets of the three Tumut power stations are owned by

Snowy Hydro Limited Snowy Hydro Limited is an electricity generation and retailing company in Australia that owns, manages, and maintains the Snowy Mountains Hydro-electric Scheme that consists of nine hydro-electric power stations and sixteen large dams connected ...

, a company whose shareholders include the governments of

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...

, and

Victoria Victoria most commonly refers to: * Queen Victoria (1819–1901), Queen of the United Kingdom and Empress of India * Victoria (state), a state of Australia * Victoria, British Columbia, Canada, a provincial capital * Victoria, Seychelles, the capi ...

. The company is also licensed to manage the water rights used by the power stations.

Stations

Tumut 1 Underground Power Station

Located downstream of Tumut Pond Dam and below ground level, Tumut 1 Power Station is situated approximately south-west from

Cabramurra Cabramurra is a town situated at on the western side of the Snowy Mountains (or South West Slopes), along the Great Dividing Range in the state of New South Wales. It is lower than Dinner Plain in Victoria, and lower than Charlotte Pass Vi ...

, under Happy Valley Rd. A Lift & Ventilation Shaft is on Happy Valley Rd.
The conventional hydroelectric power station has four

turbine 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 ...

generators, with a combined generating capacity of of electricity; and a net generation of per annum. The power station was completed in 1959, and has rated

head A head is the part of an organism which usually includes the ears, brain, forehead, cheeks, chin, eyes, nose, and mouth, each of which aid in various sensory functions such as sight, hearing, smell, and taste. Some very simple ani ...

. The first 330 kV transmission lines were commissioned in New South Wales at the Tumut 1 Power Station during the 1950s. These cables were manufactured in

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and linked to the underground transformers at Tumut 1, and connected with the transmission line. The lines carried power to Sydney where new sub-stations were established, to handle the upgrade from 132 kV transmission lines. This innovative plan, which faced significant scepticism initially, was considered to be at the forefront of technology which challenged designers and overseas manufacturers. Extra high voltage was in its infancy in the early 1950s. The lines were subject to a 1000 kV test on the cables prior to them going into service. These cables and the transmission system have been in service for over 50 years. The original transformer at Tumut 1 weighed ; and each assembled generator rotor is in excess of necessitating delivery in component pieces and assembly on site. The station is connected to the

National Electricity Market The National Electricity Market (NEM) is an arrangement in Australia's electricity sector for the connection of the electricity transmission grids of the eastern and southern Australia states and territories to create a cross-state wholesale ele ...

via the 330 kV Upper Tumut Switching Station, North of Cabramurra. The Upper Tumut Works is sometimes used as a colloquial term to refer to both Tumut 1 and Tumut 2 Underground Power Stations as well as their respective dams, tunnels and the Upper Tumut Switching Station.

Tumut 2 Underground Power Station

Tumut 2 Power Station is situated approximately north of north-west from

, under Goat Ridge Rd, some below ground level.
The conventional hydroelectric power station has four

Francis turbine 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 ...

generators, with a combined generating capacity of and a net generation of per annum. The power station was completed in 1962, and has rated head. Water flows through the turbines at the rate of . The conventional gravity-fed hydroelectric power station is fed by water held in Tumut Two Pondage and from water discharged from Tumut 1 Power Station. The station is connected to the

via the 330 kV Upper Tumut Switching Station, North of Cabramurra.

Tumut 3 Power Station

Tumut 3 Power Station is the first major pumped storage hydroelectric power station in Australia. Pump-storage schemes use off-peak energy to pump water to a reservoir on a higher level. This water then passes through turbines to generate electricity when prices are higher. The sole powerhouse is located above ground, below Talbingo Dam. The power station is fitted with six

Toshiba is a Japanese multinational electronics company headquartered in Minato, Tokyo. Its diversified products and services include power, industrial and social infrastructure systems, elevators and escalators, electronic components, semiconductors ...

turbines, each equipped with

Melco Melco Holdings Inc. is a family business founded by Makoto Maki in 1975 and is located in Japan. The company's most recognizable brand is Buffalo Inc. Buffalo Inc. is currently one of the 16 subsidiaries of Melco Holdings Inc., initially found ...

-manufactured generators, has a combined generating capacity of of electricity. Three of the six units can operate as pumps at a combined rate of 600 MW. The design for the power station was managed by Peter Hughes AM. It was completed in 1973, upgraded in 2012 and has rated head. Water is carried in six pipelines, each long and in diameter, delivering water both from and to Talbingo Reservoir. The 3 pumps draw water from Jounama Pondage at the combined rate of , returning water to Talbingo Reservoir for later generation use in periods of peak-demand, usually within the same month. During 2003, Snowy Hydro commissioned six micro-hydro generators on the existing cooling water systems on each of the six generating units at Tumut 3 Power Station. These GreenPower accredited units enable Snowy Hydro to save approximately of

carbon dioxide Carbon dioxide is a chemical compound with the chemical formula . It is made up of molecules that each have one carbon atom covalent bond, covalently double bonded to two oxygen atoms. It is found in a gas state at room temperature and at norma ...

per annum. In addition, this installation not only captures previous wasted renewable energy, but also will be substantially reducing the noise that was associated with the previous pressure reducing valves on the six generating unit's cooling systems. Between 2009 and December 2011, there was a major upgrade of Tumut 3, adding additional capacity in the range of to per unit. The station is connected to the

via the 330 kV Lower Tumut Switching Station, 500m North West of Tumut 3 or 3.0 km south of south-west from Talbingo. A 450 MW / 1,800 megawatt-hour grid battery is proposed for the switching station.

References

External links