# Paloona Dam

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Dam in Northern Tasmania

Paloona Dam The power station located below the dam wall Interactive map of Paloona Dam Country Australia Location Northern Tasmania Coordinates 41°16′59″S 146°14′55″E / 41.28312°S 146.248616°E / -41.28312; 146.248616 Purpose Power Status Operational Opening date 1971 (1971) Owner Hydro Tasmania Dam and spillways Type of dam Rock-fill dam Impounds Forth River Height 43 m (141 ft) Length 171 m (561 ft) Dam volume 155×10^3 m3 (5.5×10^6 cu ft) Spillways 1 Spillway type Uncontrolled side channel Spillway capacity 2,040 m3/s (72,000 cu ft/s) Reservoir Creates Lake Paloona Total capacity 19,110 ML (15,490 acre⋅ft) Catchment area 759 km2 (293 sq mi) Surface area 17.8 ha (44 acres) Normal elevation 47 m (154 ft) AHD Paloona Power Station Coordinates 41°16′59″S 146°14′56″E / 41.28306°S 146.24889°E / -41.28306; 146.24889 Operator Hydro Tasmania Commission date 1972 (1972) Type Run-of-the-river Hydraulic head 31 m (102 ft) Turbines 1 x 30 MW (40,000 hp) Andritz Kaplan-type Installed capacity 30 MW (40,000 hp) Capacity factor 0.8 Annual generation 151 GWh (540 TJ) Website hydro.com.au [1]

The **Paloona Dam** is a concrete-faced rock-fill [embankment dam](/source/Embankment_dam) across the [Forth River](/source/Forth_River_(Tasmania)), located in [northern](/source/North_West_Tasmania) [Tasmania](/source/Tasmania), Australia. Completed in 1971, the resultant [reservoir](/source/Reservoir), Lake Paloona, was established for the purpose of generation of [hydroelectricity](/source/Hydroelectricity) via the adjacent **Paloona 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

The concrete-face [rockfill dam](/source/Rockfill_dam) wall is 43 metres (141 ft) high and 171 metres (561 ft) long. When full, Lake Paloona has capacity of 19,100 [megalitres](/source/Megalitre) (15,500 [acre⋅ft](/source/Acre-foot)) and covers 178 hectares (440 acres), drawn from a [catchment area](/source/Drainage_basin) of 759 square kilometres (293 sq mi). The [uncontrolled spillway](/source/Spillway#Types) has a flow capacity of 2,040 cubic metres per second (72,000 cu ft/s).[1]

## Hydroelectric power station

The Paloona Power Station is part of the [Mersey](/source/Mersey_River_(Tasmania))–Forth 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 final station in the scheme, the Paloona Power Station is located immediately below the dam wall. Water from Lake Paloona is fed to the power station by a short single [penstock](/source/Penstock) under the dam.[2]

The power station was commissioned in 1972 by the [Hydro Electric Corporation (TAS)](/source/Hydro_Tasmania) with a [Fuji](/source/Fuji_Heavy_Industries) [Kaplan-type](/source/Kaplan_turbine) [turbine](/source/Water_turbine), with a generating capacity of 30 megawatts (40,000 hp).[3] In 2014 the turbine was upgraded to a more efficient Andritz Kaplan-type turbine, which also has a generating capacity of 30 megawatts (40,000 hp).[4] The station output, estimated to be 151 [gigawatt-hours](/source/Kilowatt-hour) (540 [TJ](/source/Terajoule)) annually,[1] is fed to [TasNetworks](/source/TasNetworks)' transmission grid via an 11 k[V](/source/Voltage)/110 kV [Siemens](/source/Siemens) generator transformer to the outdoor switchyard.[5]

## See also

- [Australia portal](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Portal:Australia)
- [Renewable energy portal](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Portal:Renewable_energy)
- [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 394). *[ANCOLD](/source/ANCOLD)*. January 2022. Retrieved 5 March 2026.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-2)** ["Energy: Mersey-Forth"](https://www.hydro.com.au/clean-energy/our-power-stations/mersey-forth). *[Hydro Tasmania](/source/Hydro_Tasmania)*. n.d. Retrieved 3 July 2015.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-3)** ["Paloona Power Station: Mersey-Forth Catchment"](https://web.archive.org/web/20150924033306/http://www.hydro.com.au/system/files/attachments/Paloona_Power_Station-Fact-Sheets.pdf) (PDF). [Hydro Tasmania](/source/Hydro_Tasmania). Archived from [the original](http://www.hydro.com.au/system/files/attachments/Paloona_Power_Station-Fact-Sheets.pdf) (PDF) on 24 September 2015. Retrieved 24 June 2023.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-4)** ["Paloona Power Station: Mersey-Forth Catchment"](https://www.hydro.com.au/docs/default-source/clean-energy/our-power-stations/power-station-fact-sheets/paloona-power-station-fact-sheet.pdf?sfvrsn=92cc9b28_2) (PDF). *[Hydro Tasmania](/source/Hydro_Tasmania)*. [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20230624054620/https://www.hydro.com.au/docs/default-source/clean-energy/our-power-stations/power-station-fact-sheets/paloona-power-station-fact-sheet.pdf?sfvrsn=92cc9b28_2) (PDF) from the original on 24 June 2023. Retrieved 24 June 2023.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-5)** ["Principal power stations in Australia"](https://web.archive.org/web/20090803123503/http://www.energytoday.com.au/contentid74.html). *Energy Business Today*. Archived from [the original](http://www.energytoday.com.au/contentid74.html) on 3 August 2009. Retrieved 8 January 2010.

## External links

- ["Dams in Tasmania: Hydroelectric & man-made lakes near Glencoe B&B"](https://glencoecountry.com.au/dams-in-tasmania/). *Glen Country*. n.d. Retrieved 23 April 2026.

- ["Lake Paloona Dam (Forth Rv) (H)"](https://www.waterwaysguide.org.au/content/lake-paloona-dam-forth-rv-h). *Waterways Guide*. 2026. Retrieved 23 April 2026.

- ["Fishing in Ketish"](https://northwesttasmania.com.au/things-to-do/fishing-in-kentish/). *North West Tasmania*. n.d. 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 [Paloona Dam](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paloona_Dam) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paloona_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.