One of the boldest engineering feats, under the toughest conditions, in one of the most remote corners of the world.
Thousands of people, many displaced by economic distress, war and strife, came from around the world to build the hydro. Many of these families still call Tasmania home today. Many of these families still work for us today, too.
Our first hydroelectric power station, Waddamana, opened in 1916. We brought clean electricity to Tasmanians. To our farms, our businesses, and our homes. It was an Australian first.
Fast forward eight decades, Hydro Tasmania is now the largest generator of renewable energy in Australia. A web of hydropower schemes strews across Tasmania, keeping the lights on for us, enabling our lives and livelihoods. Over the years, we have employed over 30,000 people. We've powered Tasmania's industry and people, and built roads and towns where there were none before. We will always be here to power Tasmania.
The streets of Tasmanian slowly begun to be lit by electricity, through privately-owned generators, like the Duck Reach Power Station. A small electricity company who was facing financial trouble was purchased by the Tasmanian government. The Hydro-Electric Department was born and went on to build our first power station, Waddamana, powered by the Great Lake.
Farms, mills, mines and factories were revolutionised by the 1920s. Demand was growing to electrify households through the ‘30s, but equipment, materials, expertise and labour lacked during war time.
A first of their kind in the Southern Hemisphere, construction of our schemes was dangerous. The camps were isolated and cold. Conditions began to improve in newly constructed hydro villages. Safety precautions started to become front of mind. Community prevailed and brought people together.
Post-war, international immigration intensified. Everyday people from the UK, Poland, Germany, Italy, Scandinavia, and Eastern Europe were recruited. Lively and diverse communities settled permanently, with many forming multi-generational hydro families who still work with us today.
Construction grew, and household electricity became the new normal.
Fifty years of success spurred ideas of new development. On the Gordon River.
Focus began to grow on the impact to the environment. The emergence of the green movement was rife. The future of the Franklin River was argued on the national stage. Communities became divided, and protests spread. The High Court prevented the river from being dammed in 1983.
The age of dams construction in Tasmania came to an end. At the peak, over 5200 people were employed by The Hydro. In 1994, Tribute power station was commissioned, to honour the thousands of workers who sacrificed.
With Australian attitudes to the environment shifting, we changed too.
From this environmental conflict came our deepened commitment to environmental planning, revegetation and site restoration. Some of our technical expertise was diverted into international consulting.
To meet growing demands for energy, we explored alternatives to hydro-electricity, such as the oil-powered Bell Bay Power Station, the Basslink interconnector cable connecting Tasmania to Victoria, and the renewable resource of wind power. Since the 1990s, we have invested in wind farms on King Island, at Woolnorth in North West Tasmania and at Musselroe in North East Tasmania.
In mid-1998, the Hydro-Electric Commission was disaggregrated into three government-owned enterprises - Hydro Tasmania (energy generation), TasNetworks (transmission and distribution), and Aurora Energy (retail).
We entered the National Electricity Market in 2005 by exporting and importing energy via the Basslink interconnector cable to Victoria and in doing so, became Australia's leading clean energy business and largest generator of renewable energy.