Waddamana Power Stations facts for kids

The Waddamana Hydro-Electric Power Station was a very important place in Tasmania. It was the first power plant run by the Tasmanian Hydro-Electric Department, which later became the Hydro-Electric Commission (HEC). This amazing power station, originally called the Great Lake Scheme, opened in 1916. It used the power of water to make electricity!

How Waddamana A Was Built

An advertisement from 1912 about the power company.

Back in 1909, a private company called HEPMCo became interested in making electricity from Tasmania's rivers. They wanted to power a new way to refine zinc and a factory that made "carbide" near Snug.

So, they decided to build a power plant in the Ouse River valley. Water for the plant would come from a small dam on the Great Lake at Miena. This water would then flow down a steep drop through a special pipeline. Building work started in 1910.

However, HEPMCo ran out of money before they could finish the project. In 1914, they sold the unfinished power station to the new Hydro-Electric Department. This department finished the work in 1915, and the Waddamana power plant officially opened in 1916. It was the very first power station they ever operated!

When it first opened, Waddamana A could make 7 megawatts (MW) of power. It used two large turbines. A third turbine was added in 1919. After 1922, six more powerful turbines were installed to make even more electricity, as demand grew.

What Was Waddamana B?

In 1931, the Hydro-Electric Commission planned to build a brand new power station to replace the first one, which was called Waddamana A. But they didn't have enough money for a completely new site. So, they built the new plant right next to the old one!

Construction for this new plant, called Waddamana B, happened between 1939 and 1949. For many years, until 1965, both Waddamana A and Waddamana B were making electricity at the same time. Waddamana B was much more powerful, generating 48 MW of electricity from its four turbines.

When Did Waddamana Stop Working?

Both Waddamana power plants worked hard through the 1940s and 1950s. But in the early 1960s, a much bigger power station was being built at Poatina. This new plant was designed to take over from Waddamana A and B, and also from the smaller Shannon plant nearby.

The Poatina power plant opened in 1964. It was huge, with a capacity of 325 MW! This was more than three times the power of all the older plants combined. To make Poatina work best, the water flow to Waddamana A and Shannon had to be stopped.

Waddamana A was shut down in 1965, and Shannon in 1964. The Shannon plant was taken apart, but the Waddamana buildings stayed. Waddamana B kept working until 1995, when it also closed.

Today, Waddamana A has a new life as a museum! You can see the original machines and other cool displays there, including the control room switchboard from the old Shannon Power Station. It's a great way to learn about Tasmania's history of making electricity.

A Special Award for Engineering

The Waddamana 'A' station is recognized as a National Engineering Landmark by Engineers Australia. This means it's a very important historical site for engineering in Australia!

See Also

• Hydro-electric power
• Hydro-Electric Commission