Hydro Tasmania has returned Poatina Power Station in Australia to service following one of its largest planned outages in recent years, completing major electrical upgrades and the first stage of protective recoating works.
The outage forms part of an A$200m programme to upgrade all six turbines at the 360MW station, Tasmania’s second-largest hydropower facility. The first turbine upgrade was completed in early 2026, while refurbishment of a second generating unit is expected to finish in early 2027.
A key element of the outage was the first stage of work to recoat the inside of the station’s 1.8km penstock and 5.6km headrace tunnel. A robot removed the old paint before crews began applying a protective coating to prevent corrosion of the metal pipeline.
The penstock and tunnel carry water from Yingina / Great Lake down the Great Western Tiers to the power station, housed in an artificial cavern 150m underground. Penstock works are being carried out in two stages to align with irrigation seasons, with the next stage scheduled to begin in April 2027.
Poatina Site Manager Julian Quinn said the outage provided a rare opportunity to undertake an extensive package of works: “During this outage we’ve completed major electrical upgrades and progressed the refurbishment of a 60-year-old generating unit. This will help ensure the station remains reliable for decades to come.”
Work on the second generating unit will continue while the rest of the station is in service. The refurbishment includes replacement of ageing electrical controls and key turbine components, alongside maintenance to extend the unit’s operating life.
“The original electrical control systems were around 60 years old, so we’ve replaced those with modern technology that is better suited to the needs of today’s electricity system,” Quinn said. “We’ve also replaced key turbine components, including the Pelton runner and nozzles that direct water onto the turbine, and carried out significant maintenance work to prepare the machine for many more years of operation.”
Poatina has six 60MW Pelton turbines. Five units were commissioned in the 1960s, with the sixth added in the 1970s. The project forms part of Hydro Tasmania’s rolling programme of upgrades and maintenance across its dams and power stations.
“The work we’re doing now is about making sure these units continue generating renewable energy for Tasmanians well into the future,” Quinn said.
