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Category: Hydro Energy / Electricity Energy and Utilities

Hydro prepares state's biggest gas-powered generator

Monday, 9 Jan 2017 14:50:24 | Georgie Burgess

Both generators will be operating at the Tamar Valley power station this week. (ABC News)

Hydro Tasmania will fire up the main turbine at its controversial gas-powered Tamar Valley Power Station, to ease demand on its water storages.

Hydro said it would also run the main turbine — known as the combined cycle unit — over the driest period of the year to keep the plant in "optimal condition".

However, Hydro is maintaining it does not need the power station for the state's energy security.

The power station — made up of the Combined Cycle unit, the smaller Trent generator, and three others — was found in an Energy Security Taskforce report to have played an important role during the state's power crisis last year, sparked by the Bass Strait power cable failure and plummeting Hydro dam levels.

The Combined Cycle gas turbine had been up for sale before the crisis developed, but the report recommended the power station should be retained permanently as a backup power generator in case an extended outage of Basslink occurred again.

The station's manager Brad Turner said it took several days to get the main 208-megawatt generator ready for starting on Tuesday.

"The process involves removing the unit from dry conditions, [and] refilling the plant with water [as] it's kept in storage in dry conditions to prevent corrosion," he said.

"The most complex part of the process is to refill the heat steam recovery generator, which is effectively the part of the machine that takes the high temperature gas from the first stage of the generator, which then converts it to steam to power the second stage of the generator."

A team of 28 people operate the station, which has already been running the 58-megawatt Trent unit.

Hydro dam levels fall 'normal': Hydro

Water levels are sitting at 43.5 per cent, but are expected to begin dropping through to autumn.

Tasmania's energy supply after Basslink fault Photo: When the Basslink cable was out of action, the Tamar Valley generator made up most of the shortfall. (ABC News)

The levels are a stark contrast to the record low of 13 per cent experienced in May last year.

In a statement, Hydro chief executive Steve Davy said the levels were "very strong".

"At this stage, we anticipate running the Combined Cycle Gas Turbine for the balance of summer, according to operation requirements," he said.

"Storages will drop below 40 per cent and continue down in coming months, which is a perfectly normal and natural seasonal pattern.

"While that seasonal process may receive more attention than usual, it's certainly no cause for any concern."

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