A major $3.7 million project is underway at Wivenhoe to refurbish the Splityard Creek Dam bulkhead system — a crucial asset that ensures the safety and reliability of the Power Station.

The bulkhead features three massive gates, each weighing around 22 tonnes, which allow the safe isolation of turbine pumps and penstocks during maintenance. This refurbishment marks the first major maintenance on the gates in 25 years and is a key preparatory milestone ahead of Wivenhoe’s major outage planned for May 2026.

To remove the gates, an 80-tonne crane was carefully manoeuvred across a narrow concrete bridge at the dam intake. Each gate was then carefully transported along Wivenhoe–Somerset Road to the Nu-Steel facility. Inside Nu-Steel, the gates are undergoing sandblasting, precision welding repairs, and the installation of new seals — critical to ensuring a watertight fit when the gates are in use. A fresh protective coating system will complete the process, with the entire refurbishment expected to take around 16 weeks.

Once the refurbished gates return to service, the team will perform leak-testing to confirm the system’s performance and readiness for future maintenance campaigns. This work helps ensure Wivenhoe continues to provide safe, reliable, flexible energy for Queenslanders.