WIVENHOE PUMPED STORAGE HYDRO POWER STATION
Situated near Fernvale in the Somerset Region of South East Queensland, the Wivenhoe Pumped Storage Hydroelectric Power Station is currently the only one of its kind in Queensland.
Generating 570MW of lower emissions energy, Wivenhoe Power Station is CleanCo’s largest energy generator.
CleanCo pays its respects to the past, present and emerging elders of the Jinibara People, the Custodians of the land on which the Wivenhoe Power Station operates.
Operations
- Technology: Pumped Storage Hydro
- Capacity: 570MW
- Commissioned: 1984
- Location: Wivenhoe Pocket
Water is pumped from Wivenhoe Dam, uphill to the Splityard Creek Dam.
This pumping activity generally takes place during the day when solar output is high and power prices are at their lowest. The water is then stored in Splityard Creek Dam until it’s required to support energy generation during peak demand times.
In this way, Wivenhoe Hydro acts like one giant rechargeable battery, with the ability to quickly generate electricity. With a volume of 28,700 megalitres, Splityard Creek Dam has the capacity to support up to 10 hours of continuous power generation.
History
Both Wivenhoe Power Station and Wivenhoe Dam were built at the same time and commissioned in 1984.
Wivenhoe Power Station holds two Francis type turbines and at 285MW each, they are Australia’s largest, weighing an incredible 1,500 tonnes each.
The Wivenhoe Dam reservoir holds double the capacity of Sydney Harbour, and about seven times the capacity of the Gold Coast’s Hinze Dam.
