2017-05-Que-River-Hydro-Tasmania-Australia

Preventing blackouts in a local power crisis

Aggreko provided 108 MW of diesel power backup across three sites, preventing blackouts during Tasmania’s severe drought crisis. This temporary decentralised power solution supplied 12% of the state’s electricity, ensuring stability when hydropower reserves fell critically low.

Preventing blackouts in a local power crisis

Aggreko provided 108 MW of diesel power backup across three sites, preventing blackouts during Tasmania’s severe drought crisis. This temporary decentralised power solution supplied 12% of the state’s electricity, ensuring stability when hydropower reserves fell critically low.

  • The Challenge

    Supplying an alternative to hydropower during a severe summer drought

  • The Impact

    Producing 12 per cent of the state's power during the autumn months

  • The Solution

    108 MW of diesel power across three different sites

Client:Hydro Tasmania

Location:Tasmania, Australia

Sectors:Utilities

The Challenge

Urgent power backup in severe weather
Tasmania uses about 1,200 MW electricity every year, 60 per cent of which comes from hydropower. When a particularly severe drought brought Hydro Tasmania’s reservoir levels down to an all-time low, they knew the island would face severe blackouts unless they could get extra power, fast. To make things worse, the Basslink undersea power cable that connects Tasmania to the mainland National Electricity Market (NEM) had also broken down, so they were running out of options.
60%Dependence on hydropower
1200MWTasmania's annual energy supply
108MWBrought in a short notice
Aggreko provided a very strong and capable team. They also had the experience of going from a clean site to a fully operational power station and flexibly responding to the change in demands that the project had as it become more time critical. What we were impressed with was that Aggreko had a pedigree of working in these quick ramp-up situations many times before and we definitely benefited from that. 

Steve Davy , CEO, Hydro Tasmania

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