Detailed work to find best Tasmanian pumped hydro site underway

Tasmania should know where its new pumped hydro project will be developed soon as funding for detailed feasibility work is approved.

TASMANIA’s pumped hydro vision has moved a step closer with detailed investigation into the best possible site for the project underway.

A full feasibility study into the potential of three sites to deliver pumped hydro has begun as part of Hydro Tasmania’s $30 million investigation into bolstering electricity generation.

The assessment will be undertaken at Lake Cethana and Lake Rowallan in the North West and near Tribute Power Station in the west as part of the Battery of the Nation initiative.

A single pumped hydro project will then be identified to be developed and ready to feed into a second Bass Strait interconnector.

KEY SITES SELECTED FOR PUMPED HYDRO PROJECT

The Board of Hydro Tasmania approved funding for this work to begin, as part of the first tranche of investment of up to $30 million for deeper studies of the three options.

“A key focus of the Battery of the Nation initiative is to take the Tasmanian community with

us on this journey, particularly those living near the proposed pumped hydro sites that we

are investigating,” Mr Davy said.

“We are committed to providing those communities with information at every stage and

seeking their input on what matters to them. We want to make sure that the projects we

pursue will deliver benefits to Tasmania, and to Tasmanian communities.”

The first community information session will be held in Sheffield today, another in Deloraine next week and others to be announced.

Details are on Hydro Tasmania’s website.

Lake Cethana Power Station. Picture: CHRIS KIDD

Clean Energy Council chief executive Kane Thornton said Tasmania play a key role in Australia’s transition to a clean energy future.

“Australia will be completely powered by renewable energy at some point in the next few

decades. This presents a need, and an enormous opportunity, for Tasmania’s hydropower to

play a critical role in supporting that transition,” Mr Thornton said.

“The construction of Tasmania’s hydropower system a century ago was a remarkable nation-

building project, and the next generation of projects in Battery of the Nation and Marinus

Link is just as exciting.”

The State will be competing against other infrastructure projects to secure the skilled workers needed to build the project.

Mr Davy said finding the skills in the time frames needed to design and build the Battery of the Nation projects would be challenging and work needed to start now.

“There’s a lot of infrastructure being built across Australia and, even now, engineering

disciplines and trades are hard to get as there is enormous competition for the best talent.

“We need to ensure industry and the education and training sector in particular are working

together because Battery of the Nation offers young Tasmanians a once-in-a-generation

opportunity to be part of transforming Australia’s energy landscape.”