Machine No 1 has been returned to service at Trevallyn Power Station in Tasmania, following a $17.5 million refurbishment, Hydro Tasmania has confirmed.
The major refurbishment has increased the unit’s lifespan and also resulted in a 5% increase in machine efficiency
“Refurbishing an asset of this size and complexity is no easy feat. It involved a full machine strip down to the spiral casing, and then a rebuild which included a new control system, excitation system, governor, and electrical protection,” said Hydro Tasmania CEO Ian Brooksbank. “I want to congratulate the team on their hard work over the past 21 months to complete this significant project, one of several that our Assets & Infrastructure division is delivering.”
Hydro Tasmania and its consulting firm Entura completed the refurbishment work of the No. 1 machine with the assistance of many other Tasmanian companies including PSL Project Services, RBD Electrical, and Tamar Engineering.
Trevallyn was originally commissioned in 1955 and houses four Francis turbines that provide a total average energy contribution of 450 GWh per year to the system. This represents approximately 5% of Hydro Tasmania’s average annual output of 9,000 GWh.
Brooksbank said maintaining the long-term capability of the Tasmanian hydropower system remained critical to delivering renewable energy for the state, and for the National Electricity Market. Hydro Tasmania plans to spend approximately $100m – $110m per annum for the next 10 years bringing out the best in its significant asset portfolio.
