Snowy River Hydropower System Down To 10% Of Active Capacity - Lowest Since Built - SMH

[hatrack]

DROUGHT has left the mighty Snowy Mountains hydro-electric scheme with so little water it has become a generator of last resort. Last month its massive storages were down to about 10 per cent of active capacity - the lowest April level since the scheme was completed in 1974.

The managing director of Snowy Hydro, Terry Charlton, said the company needed to build more gas-fired power stations to compensate for the lack of water, but was hamstrung by its public ownership.

He told the annual conference of the Country Womens Association, held last week in the Snowy Mountains, that to survive climate change Snowy Hydro needed to be privatised so it could obtain the capital needed to diversify its power generation and better serve irrigators' needs.

To conserve water, Snowy Hydro is using two gas-fired power plants it already has in Victoria, it is funding a cloud seeding trial to increase snowfall and it is recycling water through its Tumut 3 power station. The water roars downhill to produce expensive peak-hour electricity then is pumped back up the hill, using cheaper off-peak power.

EDIT

http://www.smh.com.au/news/environment/drought-leaves-snowy-scheme-gasping/2007/05/06/1178390145463.html

[phantom power]

1. More gas-fired stations!

Just until that drought goes away. Oh wait...
:banghead: