Devils Gate Power Station

Power station and dam in north-western Tasmania, Australia

Dam in North-western Tasmania

41°21′1″S 146°15′48″E / 41.35028°S 146.26333°E / -41.35028; 146.26333PurposePowerStatusOperationalOpening date1969 (1969)Owner(s)Hydro TasmaniaDam and spillwaysType of damArch damImpoundsForth RiverHeight84 metres (276 ft)Length134 metres (440 ft)Dam volume31 thousand cubic metres (1.1×10^⁶ cu ft)Spillways1Spillway typeUncontrolledSpillway capacity2,040 cubic metres per second (72,000 cu ft/s)ReservoirCreatesLake BarringtonTotal capacity179,940 megalitres (6,355×10^⁶ cu ft)Catchment area742 square kilometres (286 sq mi)Surface area66.5 hectares (164 acres)Devils Gate Power StationOperator(s)Hydro TasmaniaCommission date1969 (1969)TypeConventionalHydraulic head68 metres (223 ft)Turbines1 x 63 MW (84,000 hp)
Boving Francis turbineInstalled capacity63 megawatts (84,000 hp)Capacity factor0.8Annual generation314 gigawatt-hours (1,130 TJ)Website
hydro.com.au/clean-energy/our-power-stations/mersey-forth^[1]

The Devils Gate Power Station is a conventional hydroelectric power station located in north-western Tasmania, Australia. The dam is 84 metres (276 ft) high. It is one of the thinnest concrete arch dams in the world.^[2]

Technical details

Part of the Mersey–Forth scheme that comprises seven hydroelectric power stations, the Devils Gate Power Station is the sixth station in the run-of-river scheme. The power station is located below the double-arched concrete Devils Gate Dam which forms Lake Barrington. Water from the lake is fed to the power station by a 150-metre (490 ft) single penstock tunnel.^[3]^[4]

The power station was commissioned in 1969 by the Hydro Electric Corporation and has one Boving Francis turbine, with a generating capacity of 63 megawatts (84,000 hp) of electricity. The station output, estimated to be 314 gigawatt-hours (1,130 TJ) annually,^[1] is fed to TasNetworks' transmission grid via an 11 kV/110 kV Siemens generator transformer to the outdoor switchyard.^[5]

Recreation

Lake Barrington is a world-famous rowing venue that hosted the 1990 World Rowing Championships.

Engineering heritage

The dam received a Historic Engineering Marker from Engineers Australia as part of its Engineering Heritage Recognition Program.^[2]

References

^ ^a ^b "Register of Large Dams in Australia". Dams information. Australian National Committee on Large Dams. 2010. Archived from the original (Excel (requires download)) on 12 December 2013. Retrieved 23 June 2015.
^ ^a ^b "Devils Gate Dam, Forth River, 1969-". Engineers Australia. Retrieved 27 April 2020.
^ "Mersey - Forth". Energy. Hydro Tasmania. Retrieved 26 June 2023.
^ "Devils Gate Dam". Engineers Australia.
^ "Devils Gate Power Station: Mersey-Forth Catchment" (PDF). Hydro Tasmania. Archived (PDF) from the original on 26 June 2023. Retrieved 26 June 2023.