The Upper Yarra Mini-Hydro scheme was a dual award-winner at the IPWEA Victorian Division’s Engineering Excellence Awards held in May.

Pipe installation during the mini-hydro project

The community-led, renewable energy project won in both the Innovation Award (Regional) and Environmental Sustainability categories. Yarra Ranges Council collaborated with the local community under the auspice of the local Bendigo Community Bank and electricity retailer Powershop, and with financial assistance from the state government.

Located in Ythan Creek, a waterway used for a ‘run of river’ hydro system, the project diverts river water by pipe nearly 900 metres downhill to a power station beneath Warburton Golf Course before the water is discharged back into the creek.

The system includes:

• A concrete offtake structure and settling tank diverting water from Ythan Creek while keeping or exceeding minimum environmental flows of 30 litres per second
• Two small weirs with landscaped fish-way to allow for continued fish movement
• An underground power station containing an Australian-built Turgo turbine and generation system with underground cable carrying power to the grid

Generated power is returned directly to the grid and water used to turn the turbine is returned to Ythan Creek, which flows into the Yarra River.

Yarra Ranges Council says the hydro system is performing as designed, with maximum power generation reached and variable power generation occurring in line with natural stream flows.

When operating at 90% of maximum output, the hydro system will generate 780,000 kWh of electricity a year, displacing over 200,000 kg of CO2e from coal-fired power generation. More than 600 square metres of creek frontage was re-vegetated to enhance natural habitats and help protect water quality. Aquatic habitat has improved with the provision of fish-ways and new rock alignments below existing culverts.

Yarra Council’s Simon Woodland with Ventia’s Naomi Nielsen and one of two Awards for the mini-hydro project

A number of residential properties abut the golf course, making it important that the system’s design did not affect residents and golfers. Climate change resulted in recent reduced stream flows, impacting on the balance between power generation and water quality. The power station was built underground and is almost inaudible for the residents.

This project has environmental and social advantages and in time it is expected to produce economic benefits from the electricity generated. A local social enterprise has been created to operate a sponsorship scheme, with profits from the mini-hydro project to be distributed for future community grant programs.