Cethana pumped hydro project
Hydro Tasmania has been investigating pumped hydro opportunities around the state, as part of our vision to expand our hydropower capacity. Following an extensive options assessment, and previous community engagement, Lake Cethana in the Mersey-Forth scheme was identified as our preferred pumped hydro site. Pumped hydro will be an important part of the future electricity market because it can fill gaps in supply from wind and solar, which don’t generate all the time.
Cethana Open Day wrap-up
A little rain did nothing to deter the enthusiasm of more than 160 locals who joined us at Cethana Power Station for our open day on Saturday 23 November. Thanks to everyone who visited on the day and for your curiosity and questions about the Cethana pumped hydro project. Our team greatly enjoyed the day, chatting about the role of Cethana today and what the future might look like with a proposed 750MW pumped hydro project. Pictured are Bronwyn, Stewart and Gina. Thanks also to Kentish Lions for keeping the crowds well fed! If you want to be the first to know about future open days, sign up to The Spill here (Hydro Tasmania’s quarterly e-news). To keep up to date with the Cethana project, you can subscribe here for future updates. |
Project update - community survey feedback
Thanks to everyone who completed our community survey on the Cethana pumped hydro. The survey was designed to find out more about how locals are feeling about the project and its positive and negative effects including impacts on road safety, recreation and tourism, residential amenity and accommodation, as well as opportunities for local employment and economic development.
We received more than 100 responses and lots of comments that will help guide our planning and next steps!
When considering potential negative project effects concerns raised included:
- Potential impacts on housing availability and affordability in and around Sheffield
- Potential impacts on local health care resources
- Concerns regarding potential impacts on plants and animals and overall biodiversity of the local area
- Potential increase in traffic on the local and regional roads and concerns regarding road safety
- Rural and residential amenity impacts from traffic and construction activities
- Concerns that the project may limit public access to natural areas
When considering potential positive effects or opportunities of the project the following themes stood out:
- Job creation
- Economic opportunities for local and regional businesses
- Potential increase in population of local communities such as Sheffield
- Broader economic benefits for Tasmania
Your feedback will help inform our social impact assessment. Our team will be back out to talk with the community in the new year, focused on what our studies have found in traffic, visual amenity, noise and air quality, and social impacts.
You’re welcome to get in touch in the meantime if you have questions.
Project update - Community survey winners!
Thank you to everyone who completed our community on the Cethana project. We received more than 100 responses and lots of great comments!
We're delighted to announce the lucky prize winners. Congratulations to B King, Waine Whitbread, Susan Lamont, Bart Wisse and Rayden Cresswell who have each won a $100 gift voucher.
Project update - November
Share your views! Thanks to everyone who has so far completed our community survey on the Cethana project. There’s still time to share your thoughts and be in the running for a great prize – one of five $100 gift vouchers. Head here to complete the short survey and you’ll find the competition terms and conditions here. Hurry! The survey closes on November 8.
Latest project information: Have you seen our October community update? Our newsletter includes updated information about the project, workforce accommodation, approvals and what’s up next. Click here to read more.
Construction workforce accommodation: We’ve closed the EOI process for potential sites for our construction workforce accommodation facility. We’re now reviewing submissions and will finish by the end of November. For more information on planning for a future construction workforce visit, head here.
Chatting with the community: Our team enjoy meeting the community and talking about the project. Keep an eye on this page for opportunities in 2025 to chat with us and ask your questions about the planned pumped hydro project at Cethana.
Project update - October
Have your say: Our community survey is out now. We’re keen to hear what you have to say about the Cethana project. Click here to let us know your thoughts. You’ll get the chance to win a prize - one of five $100 gift vouchers! Terms and conditions apply and you can find those here.
Housing a future construction workforce: We are progressing our planning for how we will deliver a future pumped hydro project at Cethana. This includes planning for accommodating a construction workforce should the project go ahead. Cethana is a major infrastructure project and will require a large workforce. We expect that around 350+ workers will need purpose-built accommodation close to site.
Click on the image below to find more information about how we are planning for a suitable accommodation facility or follow this link.
Project update - September
Have your say
Our community survey is out now. We’re keen to hear what you have to say about the Cethana project. Click here to let us know your thoughts. You’ll get the chance to win a prize - one of five $100 gift vouchers! Terms and conditions apply and you can find those here.
Claude Road Markets
Thanks to everyone who stopped by to say hi at the Markets. Our team enjoyed chatting about the project and answering your questions. We'll see you there again in December!
Kentish Men’s Shed
This fantastic group are working on improving our 3D model of the Mersey-Forth area. The team are building a new cover and stand for the model.
We always get lots of interest in our 3D model and the cover and stand will help make it more portable and durable.
Image: Our team of Bronnie, Gina and Bree are pictured with Cr Terry Hughes and Men’s Shed member Paul Robinson.
Project update - August
Geotechnical investigations: We've now completed our geotechnical investigations to find out more about the ground conditions at the upper storage site. The data from the investigations helps us to better understand the surface and underground conditions and the materials present at the site.
Environmental approvals
Our referral to the Commonwealth Government under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 (EPBC Act) has been made public and is now back with Government for review. You can view the documents and track progress through the EPBC Act Public Portal.
The EPBC referral will determine if the project needs a further formal assessment for potential impacts to what are termed ‘Matters of National Environmental Significance’ or MNES, under the EPBC Act.
Through our studies, we’ve identified that the construction and operation of the proposed pumped hydro scheme could impact on the following MNES:
Barbarea australis in the lower reaches of Bull Creek
habitat of the Tasmanian devil and eastern quoll.
We are working to minimise impacts on these matters and conditions may be applied to the project as part of its approvals. You can find out more about the EPBC process here.
What is the Cethana project?
From our investigations, we identified three top opportunities in the state for pumped hydro. These opportunities were at Lake Cethana and Lake Rowallan in the North-West and near Tribute Power Station on the West Coast. Between 2019 and 2020, detailed information was gathered and we assessed the suitability of each site for development based on a range of technical, environmental, social and economic factors. Engagement with the community was an important part of this process.
Cethana was selected as our preferred site because of its deep storage capacity, cost-effectiveness and higher technical certainty, environmental and social sustainability and flexibility in sizing and capacity.
The Cethana project would utilise the existing Lake Cethana as the lower storage. A new upper storage would be constructed to the west of the existing lake. An underground power station would be constructed between the two storages and underground tunnels would link them together.
There would be a new transmission line connection from the power station switchyard to TasNetworks’ proposed new Staverton Substation, primarily located within the existing transmission line corridor.
The project would have a generating capacity of 750 MW and a storage capacity of 20 hours. The construction phase would extend for approximately six years with a construction workforce of approximately 300 people.
We are currently investigating options for housing the construction workforce. This is likely to include a mix of purpose-built workforce accommodation village and other accommodation types. We will be engaging further with the community and key stakeholders in relation to workforce accommodation arrangements.
The map below details the proposed project layout and where major infrastructure would be built.
If you'd like to make the diagrams larger, right click and select 'open in a new tab".
About pumped hydro
Australia’s electricity market is relying more and more on wind and solar generation. This brings a growing need for energy in storage to cover those times when the sun doesn’t shine and the wind doesn’t blow (or both together!).
Pumped hydro will help keep energy supply reliable for consumers by generating electricity on-demand to fill in the gaps.
Pumped hydro schemes have two water storages – one at high elevation (upper storage) and one at low elevation (lower storage).
Here’s how it works:
- When the demand for electricity is low, or when renewable sources are abundant (and prices are low), water is pumped to the upper storage. It is then stored.
- When the demand for electricity is high, or when renewable sources are scarce (and prices are high), the water in the upper storage is used to generate electricity. Water in the upper storage is released downhill, through the power station turbines, generating electricity at the flick of a switch.
You can also check out our short video which explains it all!
https: //www.youtube.com/watch?v=cbh_fhwjzNs
Project approvals process
The Cethana project will require a range of approvals at Commonwealth, state and local government level.
We have now lodged a referral to the Commonwealth Government under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 (EPBC Act).
The EPBC Act focuses on protecting matters of national environmental significance (called MNES).
Through our studies, we have identified the flora and fauna that may be impacted by the development and proposed mitigation measures to remove or reduce that impact.
This information is provided to the Commonwealth through our referral, allowing the Environment Minister to make a decision on whether project approval is needed and what controls need to be in place (if any).
This is part of our work to reach a Final Investment Decision, which is a commercial assessment of the project’s viability.
Talking with the community
It’s important for us to continue to understand the views of the community and any concerns or issues you have about what is proposed.
We also want to know about and make the most of the opportunities that exist from the project for the local community.
As we progress a range of specialist technical studies to understand potential project impacts and opportunities, we will be seeking community input to these studies.
In the meantime, we are always happy to discuss the project so please get in touch.
What's next
Specialist studies
We’re looking into a range of technical areas to better understand the potential project impacts and opportunities, and as part of the regulatory approvals process. These studies include:
- Noise and vibration
- Traffic and transport
- Visual amenity
- Social and economic, including workforce accommodation
We will be seeking community input to these studies and the findings of these studies will be shared with communities as we progress.
We are here to listen. Post your questions below!