Work to ready Tasmania for the Battery of the Nation initiative has taken another step, with the completion of a major upgrade of Repulse Power Station in the Derwent Scheme.

The Tasmanian Energy Minister, the Hon. Guy Barnett MP, today inspected the upgrade with Hydro Tasmania’s Chief Operations Officer Jesse Clark.

The upgrade will eliminate the risk of an oil spill by replacing the turbine’s oil hub with a new water-filled hub, and making it more flexible and reliable with a new modern control system.

The improvements are part of a major upgrade of Hydro Tasmania’s Derwent system, which is expected to increase electricity generation by more than 80 gigawatt hours (GWh) each year by 2021, supporting plans to make Tasmania the renewable Battery of the Nation.

Mr Clark said Hydro Tasmania’s 10-year strategic asset management plan guides continuing investment to ensure our hydropower assets remain fit for purpose – for now and in the future.

“In the year just ended, we invested around $105 million in generation assets, including the Repulse upgrade,” Mr Clark said.

“Prior to Repulse, we invested $28.5 million in upgrading the Cluny Power Station.”

“Projects like this are about getting the most generation we can out of our existing hydropower assets by boosting efficiency and reliability.

“Longer term, the Battery of the Nation (BotN) vision involves major projects like pumped hydro storage but this work also plays a vital part.

“The opportunities forecast to flow from BotN include thousands of jobs in regional Tasmania.

“With those job opportunities comes the need for industry and the education and training sector to work together to make our young people ‘job-ready’ when the employment opportunities arrive.

“Understanding what our future workforce will look like is one of our current challenges and, as a major employer in the state, Hydro Tasmania has a role to play in creating opportunities for the future workforce.

“We believe in investing in the future. Our biggest assets aren’t our power stations or our dams. Our biggest asset is our people. We employ more than 1100 people in Tasmania, across Australia and internationally.

“Among our career opportunities, Hydro Tasmania has a strong history of offering apprenticeships.

We have a robust apprentice program and value growing talent within the business. Through this program we look to employ the best and brightest interested in gaining a trade to build a career with a well-established, innovative statewide organisation.

“We offer electrical, mechanical fitter, linesworker (Bass Strait islands only) and trainee maintenance assistant apprenticeships in various locations across Tasmania,” Mr Clark said.

Applications are currently open for seven positions – four in the Derwent Valley, two in the Mersey-Forth region and one in Trevallyn. Applications close on Sunday 22 September.

Ends.

Released for Hydro Tasmania by Bron Hill / 0413 592 638 / media@hydro.com.au