Fisher Power Station

Dam in North-western Tasmania

41°40′48″S 146°22′48″E / 41.68000°S 146.38000°E / -41.68000; 146.38000PurposePowerStatusOperationalOpening date1969 (1969)Owner(s)Hydro TasmaniaDam and spillwaysType of damArch damImpoundsFisher RiverHeight14 metres (46 ft)Length976 metres (3,202 ft)Dam volume176 thousand cubic metres (6.2×10^⁶ cu ft)Spillways1Spillway typeUncontrolledSpillway capacity515 cubic metres per second (18,200 cu ft/s)ReservoirCreatesLake MackenzieTotal capacity20,220 megalitres (714×10^⁶ cu ft)Catchment area75 square kilometres (29 sq mi)Surface area29.6 hectares (73 acres)Fisher Power StationCoordinates41°40′24″S 146°16′06″E / 41.67333°S 146.26833°E / -41.67333; 146.26833Operator(s)Hydro TasmaniaCommission date1973 (1973)TypeConventionalHydraulic head603 metres (1,978 ft)Turbines1 x 46 MW (62,000 hp)
Fuji Pelton turbineInstalled capacity46 megawatts (62,000 hp)Capacity factor0.9Annual generation240 gigawatt-hours (860 TJ)Website
hydro.com.au/clean-energy/our-power-stations/mersey-forth^[1]

The Fisher Power Station is a conventional hydroelectric power station located in north-western Tasmania, Australia.

Technical details

Part of the Mersey–Forth scheme that comprises eight hydroelectric power stations, the Fisher Power Station is the second station in the scheme. The power station is located in the upper reaches of the Fisher River. The station is supplied with water from Lake Mackenzie, supplemented by water run-off from the plateau and by water pumped from Yeates Creek and Parsons Falls pumping stations. Water flow to the station is via a 6.5-kilometre (4.0 mi)-long flume, siphon and canal and then a 5.2-kilometre (3.2 mi)-long vertical shaft, inclined shaft, tunnel and surface penstock. The water descends 650 metres (2,130 ft) from the lake to the power station and then flows 4 kilometres (2.5 mi) before flowing into Lake Parangana (see Parangana Power Station).^[2]

The power station was commissioned in 1973 by the Hydro Electric Corporation (TAS) and the station has one Fuji Pelton turbine, with a generating capacity of 46 megawatts (62,000 hp) of electricity. The station output, estimated to be 240 gigawatt-hours (860 TJ) annually,^[1] is fed through an 11 kV air-blast circuit breaker to TasNetworks' transmission grid via an 11 kV/220 kV Siemens generator transformer T1 and a second transformer T2, accepts the station 22 kV output from Rowallan Power Station.^[3]

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.
^ "Mersey - Forth". Hydro Tasmania. Retrieved 26 June 2023.
^ "Fisher Power Station: Mersey-Forth Catchment" (PDF). Hydro Tasmania. Archived (PDF) from the original on 26 June 2023. Retrieved 26 June 2023.