Gordon Dam

Gordon Dam
The double arch wall of Gordon Dam holding back Lake Gordon
Location in Tasmania
Country	Australia
Location	South West Tasmania
Coordinates	42°43′50″S 145°58′35″E / 42.73056°S 145.97639°E / -42.73056; 145.97639Coordinates: 42°43′50″S 145°58′35″E / 42.73056°S 145.97639°E / -42.73056; 145.97639
Purpose	Power
Status	Operational
Construction began	1974 (1974)
Opening date	1978 (1978)
Owner(s)	Hydro Tasmania
Dam and spillways
Type of dam	Arch dam
Impounds	Gordon River
Height	140 m (459 ft)
Length	198 m (650 ft)
Elevation at crest	310 m above sea level
Width (crest)	2.75 m (9 ft)
Width (base)	17.7 m (58 ft)
Dam volume	154×10^3 m3 (5×10^6 cu ft)
Spillways	no spillway on Lake Gordon, spill is via Lake Pedder at serpentine dam (250 cubic meters/second)
Spillway type	Controlled
Reservoir
Creates	Lake Gordon
Total capacity	12.4 km3 (3.0 cu mi)
Catchment area	1,280 km2 (494 sq mi)
Surface area	278 km2 (107 sq mi)
Power station
Name	Gordon Power Station
Coordinates	42°43′48″S 145°58′12″E / 42.73000°S 145.97000°E / -42.73000; 145.97000
Operator(s)	Hydro Tasmania
Commission date	1978; 1988
Type	Conventional
Turbines	3 Fuji x 144 MW (193,107 hp)
Installed capacity	432 to 450 MW (579,322 to 603,460 hp)
Capacity factor	0.9
Annual generation	1,388 GWh (4,997 TJ)
Website hydro.com.au

The Gordon Dam, also known as the Gordon River Dam, is a major gated double curvature concrete arch dam with a controlled spillway across the Gordon River, located in South West Tasmania, Australia. The impounded reservoir is called Lake Gordon.

The dam was constructed in 1974 by the Hydro Electric Corporation (TAS) for the purpose of generating hydro-electric power via the conventional Gordon Power Station located below the dam wall.

The Gordon Dam wall, constructed with 1,540 thousand cubic metres (54×10^⁶ cu ft) of concrete, is 198 metres (650 ft) long and 140 metres (460 ft) high, making it the tallest dam in Tasmania and the fifth-tallest in Australia. At 100% capacity the dam wall holds back 12,359,040 megalitres (436,455×10^⁶ cu ft) of water; making Lake Gordon the largest lake in Australia. The surface area of the lake is 27,800 hectares (69,000 acres) and the catchment area is 2,014 square kilometres (778 sq mi). The single controlled spillway is capable of discharging 175 cubic metres per second (6,200 cu ft/s).

Approximately 48 arch dams have been built in Australia and only nine have double curvature. Gordon Dam is almost twice the height of the next highest arch dam, Tumut Pondage.

Water from the dam descends 183 metres (600 ft) underground into its power station, where three turbines of 144 megawatts (193,000 hp) generate up to 432 megawatts (579,000 hp) of power, covering about 13% of the electricity demand of Tasmania. The first two turbines were commissioned in 1978, before the third was commissioned a decade later in 1988.