# Cethana Dam

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Dam and power station in Tasmania, Australia

Dam in Northern Tasmania

Cethana Dam The dam wall, in 2017 Interactive map of Cethana Dam Country Australia Location Northern Tasmania Coordinates 41°28′47″S 146°8′1″E / 41.47972°S 146.13361°E / -41.47972; 146.13361 Purpose Power Status Operational Construction began 1967 (1967) Opening date 1971 (1971) Owner Hydro Tasmania Dam and spillways Type of dam Rock-fill dam Impounds Forth River Height 113 m (371 ft) Length 213 m (699 ft) Dam volume 1,407×10^3 m3 (49.7×10^6 cu ft) Spillways 1 Spillway type Uncontrolled Spillway capacity 1,980 m3/s (70,000 cu ft/s) Reservoir Creates Lake Cethana Total capacity 112.21 GL (90,970 acre⋅ft) Catchment area 610 km2 (240 sq mi) Surface area 41.4 ha (102 acres) Cethana Power Station Operator Hydro Tasmania Commission date 1971 (1971) Type Run-of-the-river Hydraulic head 98 m (322 ft) Turbines 1 x 100 MW (130,000 hp) Fuji Francis-type Installed capacity 100 MW (130,000 hp) Capacity factor 0.85 Annual generation 434 GWh (1,560 TJ) Website hydro.com.au [1]

The **Cethana Dam** is a concrete-faced rockfill [embankment dam](/source/Embankment_dam) across the [Forth River](/source/Forth_River_(Tasmania)), located near [Sheffield](/source/Sheffield%2C_Tasmania) in [northern](/source/North_West_Tasmania) [Tasmania](/source/Tasmania), Australia. Completed in 1971, the resultant [reservoir](/source/Reservoir), [Lake Cethana](/source/Sheffield%2C_Tasmania#Lake_Cethana), was established for the purpose of generating [hydro-electric power](/source/Hydro-electricity) via the **Cethana Power Station**, a [run-of-the-river](/source/Run-of-the-river_hydroelectricity) hydroelectric [power station](/source/Power_station).

The dam, its reservoir, and the power station are owned and operated by [Hydro Tasmania](/source/Hydro_Tasmania).

## Dam and reservoir overview

Built between 1967 and 1971,[2] the concrete-faced [rock-filled dam](/source/Rock-filled_dam) wall is 113 metres (371 ft) high and 213 metres (699 ft) long. When full, Lake Cethana has capacity of 112.21 [gigalitres](/source/Gigalitre) (90,970 [acre⋅ft](/source/Acre-foot)) and covers 414 hectares (1,020 acres), drawn from a [catchment area](/source/Drainage_basin) of 612 square kilometres (236 sq mi). The single [uncontrolled spillway](/source/Spillway#Types) is capable of discharging 1,980 cubic metres per second (70,000 cu ft/s).[1]

The Cethana Dam is listed as a National Engineering Landmark by [Engineers Australia](/source/Engineers_Australia) as part of its [Engineering Heritage Recognition Program](/source/Engineers_Australia#Engineering_Heritage_Recognition_Program).[3]

## Hydroelectric power station

Entrance to the underground Cethana Power Station

The Cethana Power Station is part of the [Mersey](/source/Mersey_River_(Tasmania))–[Forth](/source/Forth_River_(Tasmania)) scheme that comprises seven [run-of-the-river](/source/Run-of-the-river_hydroelectricity) hydroelectric power stations and one [mini-hydro](/source/Mini-hydro) power station. The sixth station in the scheme, the Cethana Power Station is located underground and is supplied with water from Lake Cethana, from the [Wilmot Power Station](/source/Wilmot_Power_Station) located below Lake Gairdner, and uncontrolled flow from the Forth River. Water from the Cethana power station is returned to the Forth River through a tailrace tunnel which has a tailrace gate structure at the outlet portal.[4]

The power station was commissioned in 1971 by the [Hydro Electric Corporation (TAS)](/source/Hydro_Tasmania) and the station has one [Fuji](/source/Fuji_Heavy_Industries) [Francis-type](/source/Francis_turbine) [turbine](/source/Water_turbine), with a generating capacity of 100 megawatts (130,000 hp) of electricity. The station output, estimated to be 434 [gigawatt-hours](/source/Kilowatt-hour) (1,560 [TJ](/source/Terajoule)) annually,[1] is fed to the outdoor switchyard via a three single-phase 13.8 k[V](/source/Volt)/220 kV Fuji generator transformer.[5]

### Proposed pumped-storage station

In 2023, under the *[Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999](/source/Environment_Protection_and_Biodiversity_Conservation_Act_1999)* (Cth), Hydro Tasmania, as part of their *Battery of the Nation* initiative,[6] submitted to the Australian Government approval of a proposed 750-megawatt (1,010×10^3 hp) underground [pumped-storage](/source/Pumped-storage_hydroelectricity) hydroelectric plant. It was proposed that the plant use the existing Lake Cethana as a lower storage reservoir and that it be connected, via underground tunnels and a new underground power station, to a new off-stream embankment dam with capacity of 12.4 gigalitres (10,100 acre⋅ft) covering approximately 100 hectares (250 acres), located above the western side of the existing reservoir. Additional transmission lines and a switchyard were also proposed.[7] In April 2025, Hydro Tasmania decided to cancel the project.[8]

## See also

- [Renewable energy portal](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Portal:Renewable_energy)
- [Australia portal](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Portal:Australia)
- [Water portal](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Portal:Water)

- [List of power stations in Tasmania](/source/List_of_power_stations_in_Tasmania)

- [List of reservoirs and dams in Tasmania](/source/List_of_reservoirs_and_dams_in_Australia#Tasmania)

- [List of run-of-the-river hydroelectric power stations](/source/List_of_run-of-the-river_hydroelectric_power_stations)

## References

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-ANCOLD_1-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-ANCOLD_1-1) [***c***](#cite_ref-ANCOLD_1-2) ["Register of Large Dams Australia-2015"](https://ancold.org.au/information-resources/dams-information/) ([Excel](/source/Microsoft_Excel). Requires download. Row 98). *[ANCOLD](/source/ANCOLD)*. January 2022. Retrieved 5 March 2026.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-2)** ["Lake Cethana"](https://northwesttasmania.com.au/things-to-do/lake-cethana/). *North West Tasmania*. West X North West. n.d. Retrieved 23 April 2026.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-3)** ["Cethana Dam, Forth River, 1971-"](https://portal.engineersaustralia.org.au/heritage/cethana-dam-forth-river-1971). Engineers Australia. Retrieved 27 April 2020.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-4)** ["Mersey - Forth | Energy"](https://www.hydro.com.au/energy/our-power-stations/mersey-forth). *[Hydro Tasmania](/source/Hydro_Tasmania)*. Retrieved 3 July 2015.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-5)** ["Cethana Power Station: Technical fact sheet"](https://www.hydro.com.au/docs/default-source/clean-energy/our-power-stations/power-station-fact-sheets/cethana-power-station-fact-sheet.pdf?sfvrsn=2acd9b28_2) (PDF). *Mersey-Forth Catchment*. [Hydro Tasmania](/source/Hydro_Tasmania). [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20230618053505/https://www.hydro.com.au/docs/default-source/clean-energy/our-power-stations/power-station-fact-sheets/cethana-power-station-fact-sheet.pdf?sfvrsn=2acd9b28_2) (PDF) from the original on 18 June 2023. Retrieved 18 June 2023.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-6)** ["Battery of the Nation – A Concept Study of Tasmanian Pumped Hydro Options"](https://arena.gov.au/projects/battery-of-the-nation/). *[Australian Renewable Energy Agency](/source/Australian_Renewable_Energy_Agency)*. [Australian Government](/source/Australian_Government). 31 January 2018. Retrieved 23 April 2026.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-7)** ["Cethana pumped hydro energy storage – Project Update"](https://ehq-production-australia.s3.ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/406656dec6af0608c977d3e77abfcb9e4e69a62c/original/1692052303/9744fab4619a0bc34fca1bf90ce6236d_230278_Hydro_Cethana_Community_Info_Sheet_spreads.pdf?X-Amz-Algorithm=AWS4-HMAC-SHA256&X-Amz-Credential=AKIA4KKNQAKIII4DU7AG%2F20260423%2Fap-southeast-2%2Fs3%2Faws4_request&X-Amz-Date=20260423T024125Z&X-Amz-Expires=300&X-Amz-SignedHeaders=host&X-Amz-Signature=a35b31b927add7cc23a85701711be453de3749c7b97ff7808b6a2735f1bb07c8) (PDF). *[Hydro Tasmania](/source/Hydro_Tasmania)*. July 2023. Retrieved 23 April 2026.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-8)** ["Cethana Pumped Hydro Energy Storage Project"](https://epbcpublicportal.environment.gov.au/all-notices/project-decision/?id=3ed99c13-9d20-f011-998a-00224811099e). *EPBC Act Public Portal*. Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water. [Australian Government](/source/Australian_Government). 22 April 2025. Retrieved 23 April 2026.

v t e Dams and reservoirs in Tasmania, Australia Central Highlands Arthurs Lake Catagunya Clark Cluny Lake Binney Lake Echo Liapootah Meadowbank Miena Pine Tier Repulse Wayatinah King Island Upper Grassy North East Briseis Cascade Clarence Curries River Duck Reach Weir Frome Monarch Mount Paris North West Guide River Henty Pet River White Spur Northern Augusta Cethana Devils Gate Ford Mackenzie Meander Paloona Parangana Rowallan Taylor No. 3 Trevally Wilmot South Craigbourne Flagstaff Gully Hall No. 2 Knights Creek Limekiln Gully Lower Reservoir Ridgeway Rileys Creek Risdon Brook Stanton South West Edgar Gordon Laughing Jack Scotts Peak Serpentine Western Anthony and levee Bastyan and levee Crotty Darwin Mackintosh Tullabardine Margaret Murchison Newton Reece Decommissioned Tolosa Park Category | List

v t e Energy in Tasmania Hydroelectric Derwent Butlers Gorge Catagunya Cluny Lake Echo Liapootah Meadowbank Nieterana Repulse Tarraleah Tungatinah Wayatinah Gordon-Pedder Gordon Franklin Dam controversy Mersey-Forth Cethana Devils Gate Fisher Lemonthyme Paloona Parangana Rowallan Wilmot West Coast King John Butters Lake Margaret Pieman / Anthony Bastyan Mackintosh Reece Tribute Yingina / Great Lake Poatina Tods Corner Trevallyn Others Huntsman Decommissioned Duck Reach Moorina Waddamana Waddamana B Wind farms Granville Harbour Musselroe Woolnorth Cattle Hill Huxley Hill (King Island) Natural gas Tamar Valley Decommissioned Bell Bay Organisations Alinta Aurora Powerco Hydro Tasmania Roaring 40s TasNetworks Former Transend Networks Interconnectors Basslink Planned Marinus Link Other Office of the Tasmanian Economic Regulator 2016 Tasmanian energy crisis List of power stations in Tasmania

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Cethana Dam](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cethana_Dam) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cethana_Dam?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.