Shoalhaven Scheme

The Shoalhaven Scheme is a dual-purpose water supply and hydro-electric power generation scheme located on the South Coast region of New South Wales, Australia.

The Scheme was built as a joint project between the Electricity Commission of NSW and the NSW Metropolitan Water Sewerage and Drainage Board. Management has subsequently passed to Eraring Energy and the Sydney Catchment Authority.

Water in the scheme is stored in three principal dams and their associated reservoirs: Tallowa Dam, Fitzroy Falls Dam and Wingecarribee Dam. Wingecarribee River is a tributary of Warragamba River, so water pumped into Wingecarribee Reservoir can be released into Warragamba Dam and hence the Sydney water supply. Water can also be released into Nepean Dam via a system of rock cuttings and tunnels known as Glenquarry Cut. Water from the Nepean Dam can be transferred to Sydney, or to Wollongong via Avon Dam.

Bendeela Pondage, completed in 1972, is an earth and rockfill embankment dam structure located on the Kangaroo River.

In addition to its water supply capabilities which supplements water supplies to the Sydney area, the Shoalhaven Scheme also comprises two hydro-power facilities, with total generating capacity of 240 megawatts (320,000 hp). The flexibility of the scheme is that it can operate as either a pump or a generator. During off peak periods, it utilises excess electricity from the grid to pump water back up to the reservoir(s) as pumped storage. The two power stations are: The Kangaroo Valley and Bendeela power stations were completed in 1977 as a joint project between the Electricity Commission of New South Wales and the NSW Metropolitan Water Sewerage and Drainage Board. Management has subsequently been passed from those bodies to Eraring Energy and the Sydney Catchment Authority.

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