Kiewa Hydroelectric Scheme
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The Kiewa Hydroelectric Scheme is the largest hydro-electric scheme in Victoria and the second largest in mainland Australia after the Snowy Mountains Scheme. The scheme is situated in the Australian Alps in north-eastern Victoria about 200kms from Melbourne and is wholly owned by AGL.
The scheme was originally constructed between 1938 and 1961 by the State Electricity Commission of Victoria although it was privatised in the 1990s. The scheme was originally developed solely for electricity generation, unlike the Snowy Mountains Scheme, which was also intended to direct water west of the Snowy Mountains for purposes of irrigation.
The main reservoir of the scheme is the Rocky Valley Dam, which has a capacity of 28 billion litres and is situated at 1600 metres above sea level. The scheme also contains a number of smaller dams and pondages and several kilometres of tunnels and aqueducts. A great deal of the water in the dams comes from melting snow, which covers much of the area during cooler months.
The scheme presently has a total capacity of 241MW and an average annual electricity output of 340GWh. The scheme consists of three power stations:
- McKay Creek Power Station (150MW)
- Clover Power Station (29MW)
- West Kiewa Power Station (62MW)
The West Kiewa Power Station was the first underground power station constructed in Australia. Proposals have been lodged by the present owner of the scheme, AGL to construct an additional 130MW Bogong Power Station that was originally planned by the State Electricity Commission of Victoria but never completed. The West Kiewa Power station is also being upgraded to a capacity of 74MW.
