Lemonthyme Power Station

The Lemonthyme Power Station is a conventional hydroelectric power station located in north-western Tasmania, Australia. It is the third station in the MerseyForth run-of-river scheme that comprises seven conventional hydroelectric power stations and one mini hydro station.

Parangana Dam
Lemonthyme Power Station is located in Tasmania
Lemonthyme Power Station
Location of the Parangana Dam in Tasmania
CountryAustralia
LocationNorth-western Tasmania
Coordinates41°37′48″S 146°13′12″E / 41.63000°S 146.22000°E / -41.63000; 146.22000
PurposePower
StatusOperational
Opening date1968 (1968)
Owner(s)Hydro Tasmania
Dam and spillways
Type of damEmbankment dam
ImpoundsMersey River
Height53 metres (174 ft)
Length189 metres (620 ft)
Dam volume382 thousand cubic metres (13.5×10^6 cu ft)
Spillways1
Spillway typeUncontrolled
Spillway capacity2,093 cubic metres per second (73,900 cu ft/s)
Reservoir
CreatesLake Parangana
Total capacity14,820 megalitres (523×10^6 cu ft)
Catchment area715 square kilometres (276 sq mi)
Surface area11.4 hectares (28 acres)
Lemonthyme Power Station
Coordinates41°36′14″S 146°08′19″E / 41.60389°S 146.13861°E / -41.60389; 146.13861
Operator(s)Hydro Tasmania
Commission date1969 (1969)
TypeConventional
Hydraulic head139 metres (456 ft)
Turbines1 x 54 MW (72,000 hp)
Fuji Francis turbine
Installed capacity54 megawatts (72,000 hp)
Annual generation313 gigawatt-hours (1,130 TJ)
Website
hydro.com.au/energy/our-power-stations/mersey-forth
[1]

Technical details edit

The Parangana Dam forms Lake Parangana by damming the Mersey River. Water from the lake is diverted west to Lemonthyme Power Station via a 6.5-kilometre (4.0 mi)-long tunnel, followed by a 1.6-kilometre (0.99 mi) single surface penstock.[2] The water then runs through the power station, and is discharged into the River Forth, then down to Lake Cethana.

The power station was commissioned in 1969 by the Hydro Electric Corporation (TAS). It has one Fuji Francis turbine, with a generating capacity of 54 megawatts (72,000 hp) of electricity. The station output, estimated to be 313 gigawatt-hours (1,130 TJ) annually,[citation needed] is fed to TasNetworks' transmission grid via two 3-phase 11 kV/220 kV Siemens generator transformers to the outdoor switchyard.[3]

Although much of the water from Lake Parangana travels the approximately 8 km to the Lemonthyme Power Station (which discharges into the River Forth), some water is allowed to continue down the Mersey River for environmental reasons, after running through the Parangana mini hydro station.

See also edit

References edit

  1. ^ "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.
  2. ^ "Mersey - Forth". Energy. Hydro Tasmania. Retrieved 3 July 2015.
  3. ^ "Lemonthyme Power Station: Technical fact sheet" (PDF). Mersey-Forth Catchment. Hydro Tasmania. Archived (PDF) from the original on 17 June 2023. Retrieved 18 June 2023.