Wivenhoe Power Station
| Wivenhoe Power Station | |
|---|---|
 Power station at Splityard Creek Dam | |
  Location of Wivenhoe Power Station in Australia Queensland | |
| Country | Australia |
| Location | Wivenhoe Pocket, Queensland |
| Coordinates | 27°22′20″S 152°37′55″E / 27.37222°S 152.63194°ECoordinates: 27°22′20″S 152°37′55″E / 27.37222°S 152.63194°E |
| Status | Operational |
| Commission date | 1984 |
| Owner(s) | CS Energy |
| Pumped-storage power station | |
| Upper reservoir | Splityard Creek Dam |
| Lower reservoir | Lake Wivenhoe |
| Power generation | |
| Units operational | 2 x 250 MW |
| Nameplate capacity | 500 MW |
The Wivenhoe Power Station is situated between the Splityard Creek Dam and Lake Wivenhoe. The Splityard Creek dam is situated in hills adjacent to Lake Wivenhoe and is about 100 metres (330 ft) above it.[1]
The Wivenhoe Dam has been built across the Brisbane River about 80 kilometres (50 mi) by road from the centre of Brisbane, the capital of the state of Queensland, Australia. The body of water held behind the dam is called Lake Wivenhoe.
During the pumping phase in the operating cycle the generator operates as an electric motor driving the pump to lift water from Lake Wivenhoe to the upper storage of Splityard Creek Dam.[1] When peak demand for electricity occurs the flow of water is reversed, flowing from the upper to the lower storage and driving the turbine generator to generate electricity.[1]
The Splityard Creek dam has sufficient capacity for 10 hours of continuous power generation. It takes about 14 hours of pumping to refill it.
The pumped storage power station consists of two circular concrete silos, each of about 32 metres (105 ft) internal diameter.[1] Each of the silos houses a 250 megawatts (340,000 hp) turbine generator spinning at 120 rpm and pump set, giving a total capacity of 500 megawatts (670,000 hp).
The power station is owned and operated by CS Energy and has 13 onsite employees.[2] Twin 275 KV transmission lines connect the power station to the Queensland's grid system.
A second hydro-electric power station known as Wivenhoe Small Hydro powered by water discharging from the Wivenhoe Dam into the Brisbane River commenced operation in March 2003. It has a power output of 4.5 MW.
See also
- List of active power stations in Queensland
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 "Wivenhoe Power Station". SEQ Water. Retrieved 31 January 2010.
- ↑ http://www.csenergy.com.au/content-%28168%29-wivenhoe.htm
External links
- CS Energy page on Wivenhoe Power Station
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