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Cethana

Hydro power plant in Tasmania, Australia. Approximate location -41.4787, 146.1349.

HydroTasmaniaAustraliapumped storagePre Construction

Cethana is a 100 MW hydro power station in Tasmania, Australia. It is operated by Hydro-Electric Corporation (Tasmania). Based on reported annual generation of 426 GWh, it can supply roughly 122k homes. It ranks #182 of 536 Australia power plants by installed capacity. As a non-combustion source, it has no direct CO₂ emissions from generation. In context, hydro supplies about 4.3% of Australia's electricity; the national grid averages 525 gCO₂/kWh (38.6% low-carbon) (2025).

100Source-backed capacity
426GWh reported / yr
121,828homes powered
1971Pre Construction year

Plant data: WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0), id AUS0000144.

Data status

Known data

FacilityCethana WRI
CountryAustralia · Tasmania WRI
Coordinates-41.4787, 146.1349 WRI
FuelHydro WRI
MW installed capacity100 MW WRI source record; scope not independently normalised
OwnerHydro-Electric Corporation (Tasmania) WRI
Commissioned1971 WRI
Technologypumped storage WRI
GWh reported / yr426 GWh/yr WRI

Calculated from dataset

Capacity rank in country#182 of 536 calculated
Fuel-specific rank in country#17 of 73 calculated
Capacity vs country/fuel peers2.22× · 45 MW median · 73 peers calculated
Homes-powered equivalent121,828 calculated from reported generation
Climate8.7°C · HDD 3,396 derived from coordinates
Environmental severityC4 · 29/100 derived from coordinates

Not available

GWh reported / yrNot available not in dataset
CO₂ emissionsnot applicable not applicable

Known, modelled and calculated values are kept separate. Missing fields are shown as unavailable.

Capacity provenance

The public capacity above is a source-verified 2026 capacity claim: 100 MW for Cethana hydroelectric plant.

Source: GEM tracker raw 2026. Scope: operating/nameplate; source-backed GEM tracker 2026 plant record. Confidence: high_source_row_verified.

Data provenance

The capacity and/or fuel fields on this page include a source-backed provenance label from GEM, an official registry, Wikidata, OSM, or a cross-source match.

capacity: GEM tracker 2026 (location L100000600057); fuel: WRI source-record fuel

In context: how this plant compares

At 100 MW, Cethana is well above the median hydro plant in Australia (45 MW). Technically it is described as pumped storage. Its current lifecycle status is “pre construction” — so it is not yet, or no longer, generating at full output. Hydropower converts the energy of falling or flowing water into electricity; output depends on rainfall and reservoir level, and large dams also provide grid balancing and storage.

Capacity comparison computed from the WRI Global Power Plant Database; fuel-type context is general engineering background.

Reported generation trend

2013: 346 GWh20132014: 457 GWh20142015: 242 GWh20152016: 170 GWh20162017: 414 GWh20172018: 426 GWh2018457 GWh

Annual generation (GWh), WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0).

Owner

Operated by Hydro-Electric Corporation (Tasmania). All plants by this company →

Local climate & thermal context

This hydro plant converts the energy of falling or flowing water through hydro turbines. It sits in a temperate oceanic climate (Köppen Cfb) — Southern Hemisphere, latitude 41.5°S — which shapes how much energy it can produce and how its output varies through the year.

8.7°Cannual mean temp
3,396heating degree-days (base 18°C)
0cooling degree-days (base 18°C)
661 melevation

Monthly mean temperature

J: 13 °CJF: 13 °CFM: 12 °CMA: 9 °CAM: 7 °CMJ: 5 °CJJ: 4 °CJA: 5 °CAS: 6 °CSO: 8 °CON: 10 °CND: 11 °CD13 °C

Heating degree-days here run 38% above the median power plant in this dataset — a proxy for how much extra energy heated equipment must replace through its surfaces in winter.

Climate heat-demand index: 73/100 — this site sits in the top third of the power plants we cover by heating degree-days.

Climate normals: WorldClim 2.1 (1970–2000 monthly normals, 10 arc-min, CC BY 4.0); zone: Köppen-Geiger world climate classification (Kottek et al. 2006, 0.5° grid). Degree-days & heat-demand index computed by PowerAtlas — a modelled heat-demand proxy, not a measured site figure.

Site climate & environmental severity

For a plant’s outdoor hardware — heat-recovery steam generators (HRSG), expansion joints, valves, flanges and their insulation — the local climate sets how fast unprotected steel and coatings degrade. This site sits in a corrosive environment (estimated ISO 9223 class C4 — High), with humidity / wetness the leading environmental stress.

C4ISO 9223 corrosivity (indicative)
29/100environmental-severity index
8.9°Cseasonal temperature swing
27 kmdistance to coast

Higher environmental severity is exactly where protective removable insulation pays back most: a sheltered micro-climate slows corrosion, UV and thermal-cycling damage and extends outdoor hardware service life. This is an indicative site-climate context — not a condition assessment of any specific plant or operator.

Indicative estimate via the ISO 9223:2012 informative method (atmospheric corrosivity from temperature, time-of-wetness and airborne salinity), using WorldClim climate normals, the Köppen-Geiger class and coast distance. Indicative, not a measured corrosion rate.

How it compares & nearby plants

The #17 largest hydro power plant of 73 in Australia by capacity.

Australia has 73 hydro power plants in this dataset, together about 8,878 MW of capacity.

Nearby power plants

Location

Coordinates -41.4787, 146.1349 from WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0). View on OpenStreetMap.

Frequently asked questions

What type of power plant is Cethana?

Cethana is a 100 MW source-record hydro power plant in Tasmania, Australia, planned/announced for 1971.

How much electricity does Cethana generate?

Cethana generates about 426 GWh of electricity per year.

How many homes can Cethana power?

Its output is enough to supply roughly 121,828 homes.

Who operates Cethana?

Cethana is operated by Hydro-Electric Corporation (Tasmania).

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