Works will commence this month on upgrades to the hydropower scheme
Hydro Tasmania has contracted Tasmanian civil construction company Hall Earthmoving to upgrade the Edgar Dam, with works to commence later this month.
Hydro Tasmania’s executive general manager of assets and infrastructure Jesse Clark says that as a Tasmanian business specialising in earthfill dams, Hall Earthmoving was an excellent choice.
“We’re fortunate to have a local family-owned business that can carry out technical works of this scale right at home in Tasmania,” Clark says.
Built in 1972, Edgar Dam is part of the Gordon-Pedder hydropower scheme, which provides up to 13 per cent of Tasmania’s power. It is the largest water storage in the country, with inter-seasonal capacity that helps drought-proof the state’s energy system.
The upgrade works will enable the dam to better withstand movements in the extremely unlikely event of a major earthquake.
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Director of Hall Earthmoving Chris Hall says his father Mick Hall started the business 40 years ago and it was rare to see a contract of this size come up that was within their scope.
“We’re very happy that we’ve got this project. Working for Hydro Tasmania in this capacity has been a long-term goal of the business,” Hall says.
“The Edgar Dam project is something I’m very passionate about, my team’s very passionate about, and I’ve got a great mentor in my father.”
Hydro Tasmania proactively adopted stringent environmental controls to protect the sensitive Tasmanian Wilderness World Heritage Area that surrounds the work site. The project has also met the federal government’s environmental requirements and was deemed not to be a controlled action.
Measures include regular wash down stops for vehicles and machinery, only driving at certain times, downward facing dim lights and low noise emissions at night.
“It’s a big task but we feel confident because we have experience working in these kinds of areas, like on the West Coast, and understand how remote and sensitive that environment is,” Hall says.
