Lake Margaret Power Station, Tasmania
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The Lake Margaret Power Station is the third oldest hydro-electric power plant in Tasmania. It was constructed between 1911 and 1914, by the Mount Lyell Mining and Railway Company. It was sold to the Tasmanian Hydro-Electric Commission in 1984, and was officially decommissioned on 30 June 2006.
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[edit] History
In 1911 the Mount Lyell Mining and Railway Company decided to make more extensive use of electricity in its smelting operations in the mining town of Queenstown, on Tasmania's west coast. It selected Lake Margaret, a small lake high up on Mount Sedgwick, to the north-west of the town, as its catchment area. In 1911, construction of a dam was commenced, which raised the original lake by six metres. The water was conveyed by a pipeline to the plant several kilometres away. The material for this pipeline was the subject of some debate. Metal was too expensive, so wood was chosen. The native Tasmanian timber King Billy Pine was studied but not found adequate, so timber was imported from Canada, and the pipeline was duly erected. The imported timber deteriorated rapidly, and seven years later work began to replace it with King Billy Pine. This occurred in 1921. This pipeline was in service until the plant closed.
Lake Margaret Power Station number 2 was further downstream, and was built later, and decommissioned earlier than the main power station.
[edit] Closure
The power plant itself produced 8.4 megawatts of peak power from seven Pelton turbines, with an average output of 5.5 megawatts (limited by rainfall into the catchment) which were in service from when the building opened in 1914.
Throughout 2005 the old plant was still in full-time use, but became the subject of debate. The Lake Margaret Precinct and Power Station have been nominated to be included in the state Heritage register, due to the unique nature of being an integral part of West Coast history that has not been closed down or destroyed, which is the fate of many of the man made structures on the west coast that no longer serve purposes for the mining or other industries.
On 30 June 2006 the Lake Margaret Power Station closed, due to the age and cost of refurbishing the machinery and the decrepit King Billy Pine penstock. The Hydro-Electric Commission claimed on their website to be 'currently refurbishing the Lake Margaret Scheme' until only just before the plant was closed. The Hydro have two reports on their web page regarding the feasibility of future activity using the area. This may involve using a completely new power station alongside the existing one, which will probably become a museum.
This was worrying to many concerned with the heritage value of the power station and precinct including Darryl Gerrity, the West Coast Council Mayor who suggested more creative thinking on the part of the Hydro. Also, the several men whom operated the plant and were interviewed by the ABC program 'Stateline' claimed that within months of closure, the turbines will seize up and any form of re-commissioning would not be possible.
[edit] External links
[edit] References
- Blainey, Geoffrey (2000). The Peaks of Lyell, 6th ed., Hobart: St. David's Park Publishing. ISBN 0-7246-2265-9.
- Whitham, Charles. Western Tasmania - A land of riches and beauty, Reprint 2003, Queenstown: Municipality of Queenstown.
- 2003 edition - Queenstown: Municipality of Queenstown.
- 1949 edition - Hobart: Davies Brothers. OCLC 48825404; ASIN B000FMPZ80
- 1924 edition - Queenstown: Mount Lyell Tourist Association. OCLC 35070001; ASIN B0008BM4XC
