Venturing to Tasmania’s Central Highlands, Roshan caught up with Hydro Tasmania’s Jesse Clark to tour the Poatina Power Station. Episode 5 of Energy Matters took us underground and inside the hydropower station delivering renewable energy to thousands of Australians.
Poatina Power Station delivering hydro energy
Poatina is the Tasmanian Palawa meaning for ‘cave’ – and Roshan quickly understood why this name was chosen for the hydro power station in the Central Highlands. Meeting with Jesse Clark, EGM for Assets & Infrastructure – Hydro Tasmania, they travelled deep underground to explore the station and its six turbines that generate hydroelectricity.
The station harnesses a significant elevation drop of about 900 metres from yingina/Great Lake down the face of the Great Western Tiers to the power station’s turbines. This design allows gravity to do much of the heavy lifting, making it a clever use of Tasmania’s natural landscape.
Officially opened on 30 March 1965, the power station houses the six turbines that generate around 60MW each – totalling 360MW for the station. Jesse explained that hydropower was originally developed to service Tasmanian locals, which then expanded to the mainland thanks to the Basslink cabling.
Hydro Tasmania generates approximately 9,000 gigawatt-hours (GWh) of renewable energy from hydropower to Tasmania and the mainland.
Momentum Energy and Hydro Tasmania
Momentum Energy, owned by Hydro Tasmania, plays a key role in supporting renewable energy across multiple Australian states. Hydro Tasmania sells energy into the National Energy Market (NEM) via their retail arm, Momentum Energy. Through the Basslink interconnector, energy produced at stations like Poatina can travel under the Bass Strait and is then traded on the NEM.
Hydropower is a quiet achiever in the renewables space – reliable, low-emissions energy from Tassie’s rivers flowing across the country.
