Wyangala Dam Hydro Power Station

Capacity:	20 MW – Power Station “A” 4.5 MW – Power Station “B”
Fuel Source:	Hydro from State Water controlled irrigation releases
Prime generator:	GE Turbines

Wyangala Dam Hydro Power Station “A” was commissioned in 1991 and was the first major power station to be developed by the private sector. Located on the State Water managed Wyangala Dam in the Lachlan Valley catchment area in central western NSW, it foreshadowed the future for environmentally friendly power sources.

The original “A” station has a capacity to generate 61 GWH per year using the flows from the existing Wyangala irrigation dam. Generation from 2 x 9 MW horizontal axis Francis turbines commences when the State Water irrigation and environmental flows reach 700 megalitres per day (ML/d) and continues to generate with flows up to 2600 ML/d.

The electricity is directly supplied to Country Energy’s local grid under long term contract and is consumed in the local Cowra area. This “green and environmentally friendly” electricity displaces electricity produced by coal burning thermal power stations saving an estimated 16 000 tonnes of CO2 equivalent each year from the atmosphere.

Wyangala Dam Hydro Power Station incorporated an innovative and economical design which, importantly did not affect the amenity of the dam surrounds. Being an environmentally friendly power station, it was critical within the design process to make certain the final structure and associated engineering blended sympathetically with the natural surroundings.

The negotiation of construction and power purchase agreements was completed in record time. The project was delivered within budget and three months ahead of original completion targets.

In 2003, an upgrade to the existing power station’s turbine to meet current design advances was completed and an independent new 4.5 MW power station was constructed in close proximity to the original plant. The new station will utilise the low volume river releases and will also provide the capacity to supplement generation from the existing station when flows are above 2600 ML/d. The upgrade will deliver a further 14 GWh of green electricity each year to the grid.

The total capacity of both stations will enable the maximum benefit from the dam with nearly all irrigation flows and environmental releases being available for conversion to green energy and provides a significant renewable energy source to the region.

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