The Queensland Government has announced that the Wivenhoe Pumped Storage Hydroelectric Power Station is set to undergo a $17 million overhaul.
According to the State Government, the overhaul will guarantee that the hydro power station continue to safely and reliably operate while delivering clean energy.
Major maintenance work at the hydro power station has begun this month, generating 100 jobs under the Queensland Energy and Jobs Plan.
“Wivenhoe is incredibly important for our plan to deliver cleaner, cheaper, more secure energy — as Queensland’s only current pumped storage hydroelectric power station it’s a fast ramping, flexible energy generator that is settling us up to 70 per cent renewable energy by 2032,” Assistant Minister and Member for Bundamba Lance McCallum said.
Assistant Minister Bundamba McCallum explained that the Wivenhoe Pumped Hydro can continue to function during the overhaul period by doing an extensive repair on one turbine at a time, supplying reliable low-emission energy to the grid.
“Our Queensland Energy and Jobs Plan is developing two mega clean energy pumped hydro projects in regional Queensland, Borumba west of the Sunshine Coast and Pioneer-Burdekin west of Mackay. Our plan also invests in skills, training and support for both our existing energy sector workforce and creating the new jobs and careers of tomorrow,” he added.
The Wivenhoe Pumped Hydro Power Station features two huge 285MW turbines, and the State Government said the scheduled maintenance activities are crucial for the long-term reliability of Queensland’s sole existing pumped hydro plant.
“Our team will be required to work across three separate work fronts which predominately include working at heights and in confined spaces to inspect and where needed, repair or refurbish the power station structure which is around 50m below Wivenhoe dam level,” Wivenhoe Site Manager Trevor Turner said.
Turner stated that they will also finish construction on the 6.5-metre-diameter-by-400-metre-long pipe infrastructure that connects the upper reservoir to the power facility.
CleanCo, a publicly owned company, is being assisted by the trained staff at Downer to complete these tasks, and where feasible, local companies are being engaged to help with the completion of this critical job.
“Wivenhoe Pumped Hydro is a unique asset not only in CleanCo’s portfolio, but in the broader Queensland energy network. It plays an essential role in firming wind and solar energy to provide Queenslanders with reliable, low-emission energy during peak periods,” CleanCo CEO Tom Metcalfe said.
Metcalfe stated that the major overhauls will enable CleanCo to properly evaluate the asset and do extensive maintenance to guarantee it continues to run effectively and reliably as the reliance on energy storage technology grows.
“Downer has provided outage and maintenance at Wivenhoe for 20 years, and we’re pleased to continue this track record of delivering highly technical services, ensuring the ongoing reliability of this important asset,” Downer General Manager and Energy East Nikki Poteri-Collie said.
“Our expert team was also involved in the most recent overhaul in 2021, and we are committed to ensuring this overhaul is completed with the same high standards of safety and efficiency,” Poteri-Collie added.
