The Reece Power Station is a conventional hydroelectric power station located in the West Coast region of Tasmania, Australia.

Technical details

Part of the Pieman River scheme that comprises four hydroelectric power stations, the Reece Power Station is the final station in the scheme, before the water runs out to sea. The power station is located aboveground at the foot of the rock-filled concrete faced Reece Dam (also called the Lower Pieman Dam) which forms Lake Pieman. Water from the lake is fed to the power station into two independent 250 m-long tunnels. The power station was commissioned in 1986 and 1987 by the Hydro Electric Corporation (TAS) and the station has two Fuji Francis turbines, with a combined generating capacity of 238 MW of electricity. The station output, estimated to be 1025 GWh annually, is fed to TasNetworks' transmission grid via a 13.8 kV/220 kV Fuji generator transformer to the outdoor switchyard.

Etymology

Both the power station and the dam are named in honour of Eric Reece, the Premier of Tasmania between 1958 and 1969 and again between 1972 and 1975. Reece was a firm proponent of the Hydro-Electric Commission and the development of hydroelectricity in Tasmania.