John Butters Power Station Explained

John Butters Power Station
Location Map:Australia Tasmania
Coordinates:-42.1558°N 145.5344°W
Country:Australia
Location:Western Tasmania
Purpose:P
Status:O
Owner:Hydro Tasmania
Dam Type:E
Dam Crosses:King River
Dam Volume:770e3m3
Spillway Count:1
Spillway Type:Controlled and uncontrolled
Res Name:Lake Burbury
Res Capacity Total:1081420ML
Res Capacity Active:1065000ML
Res Catchment:559km2
Res Surface:53250e3m2
Plant Name:John Butters Power Station
Plant Operator:Hydro Tasmania
Plant Type:C
Plant Turbines:1 x 144MW
Fuji Francis turbine
Plant Capacity Factor:0.9
Extra:[1]

The John Butters Power Station is a conventional hydroelectric power station located in Western Tasmania, Australia. The power station forms part of the KingYolande River Power Scheme and is owned and operated by Hydro Tasmania.[2]

Technical details

Part of the KingYolande scheme that comprises three hydroelectric power stations, the John Butters Power Station is fed by water from Lake Burbury which is dammed by the Crotty Dam in the gap in the West Coast Range between Mount Jukes and Mount Huxley, and to the south by Darwin Dam. Water flow to the station is via a long headrace tunnel from the Crotty Dam via a 6.5km (04miles)-long headrace tunnel and a 500m (1,600feet)-long steel lined power tunnel.[3]

The power station was commissioned in 1992 by the Hydro-Electric Corporation, one of the last power stations constructed before its disaggregation and transformation to Hydro Tasmania.[4] The station has one Fuji Francis turbines with a generating capacity of of electricity. Within the station building, the turbine has a half embedded spiral casing controlled via a spherical rotary inlet valve and a vertical lift, gravity closed intake gate designed to cut off full flow. The station output, estimated to be annually,[5] is fed to TasNetworks' transmission grid via a 13.8 kV/220 kV three-phase Fuji generator transformer to the outdoor switchyard.[3]

The station is remotely controlled from the Sheffield Control Centre.[6]

Etymology

The power station was named in honour of John Butters, the first general manager and chief engineer of Hydro Tasmania.[4]

When the King power scheme was approved by the Tasmanian Government the name on hydro plans for the proposed power station at that time was the Newall Power station.[7] [8]

See also

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Register of Large Dams in Australia. Excel (requires download). Australian National Committee on Large Dams. 2010. 23 June 2015. Dams information. 12 December 2013. https://web.archive.org/web/20131212120804/http://www.ancold.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2012/10/Dams-Australia-2010-v1-for-website.xls. dead.
  2. Web site: King - Yolande . Energy: Our power stations . . 21 June 2015 .
  3. Web site: John Butters Power Station: Technical fact sheet . King - Yolande Catchment . . 18 June 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230617195556/https://www.hydro.com.au/docs/default-source/clean-energy/our-power-stations/power-station-fact-sheets/john-butters-power-station-fact-sheet.pdf?sfvrsn=8ecc9b28_2 . 17 June 2023 . live .
  4. Book: Lupton, Roger . Lifeblood: Tasmania's hydro power . 1999 . 1999 . Focus Publications . 978-1-875359-33-2 .
  5. Web site: Register of Large Dams in Australia. Excel (requires download). Australian National Committee on Large Dams. 2010. 23 June 2015. Dams information. 12 December 2013. https://web.archive.org/web/20131212120804/http://www.ancold.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2012/10/Dams-Australia-2010-v1-for-website.xls. dead.
  6. Book: . King River Power Development . 11 and 13 .
  7. The naming of the Newall in the locality can be seen from the map provided in - pages 8 and 9, Lake Burbury being an extract from TASMAP Franklin 1: 100 000: There is a Newall Spur off Mount Jukes, 3 km south east of the power station, as well as Newall Creek, and a former mining site Harris' Reward on Newall Creek - see p.40 of
  8. Web site: Crotty Dam, Tasmania . Submission for historic engineering marker . . September 2000 .