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Liapootah

Hydro power plant in Tasmania, Australia. Approximate location -42.3763, 146.5099.

HydroTasmaniaAustraliarun-of-river

Liapootah is a 87 MW hydro power plant in Tasmania, Australia. It is operated by Hydro-Electric Corporation (Tasmania). Based on reported annual generation of 416 GWh, it can supply roughly 119k homes. It ranks #198 of 536 Australia power plants by installed capacity. Commissioned in 1960, it is around 66 years old — an older, legacy facility. 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).

87Source-backed capacity
416GWh reported / yr
118,857homes powered
1960commissioned (~66 yrs)

Plant data: WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0), id AUS0000123.

Data status

Known data

FacilityLiapootah WRI
CountryAustralia · Tasmania WRI
Coordinates-42.3763, 146.5099 WRI
FuelHydro WRI
MW installed capacity87 MW WRI source record; scope not independently normalised
OwnerHydro-Electric Corporation (Tasmania) WRI
Commissioned1960 WRI
Technologyrun-of-river WRI
GWh reported / yr416 GWh/yr WRI

Calculated from dataset

Capacity rank in country#198 of 536 calculated
Fuel-specific rank in country#22 of 73 calculated
Capacity vs country/fuel peers1.94× · 45 MW median · 73 peers calculated
Homes-powered equivalent118,857 calculated from reported generation
Climate9.9°C · HDD 2,984 derived from coordinates
Environmental severityC3 · 26/100 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.

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 L100000600068); fuel: WRI source-record fuel

In context: how this plant compares

At 87 MW, Liapootah is well above the median hydro plant in Australia (45 MW). Technically it is described as run-of-river. 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: 439 GWh20132014: 502 GWh20142015: 414 GWh20152016: 381 GWh20162017: 435 GWh20172018: 416 GWh2018502 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 42.4°S — which shapes how much energy it can produce and how its output varies through the year.

9.9°Cannual mean temp
2,984heating degree-days (base 18°C)
0cooling degree-days (base 18°C)
406 melevation

Monthly mean temperature

J: 14 °CJF: 15 °CFM: 13 °CMA: 10 °CAM: 8 °CMJ: 6 °CJJ: 5 °CJA: 6 °CAS: 8 °CSO: 10 °CON: 11 °CND: 13 °CD15 °C

Heating degree-days here run 21% 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: 62/100 — this site sits in the mid 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 moderately corrosive environment (estimated ISO 9223 class C3 — Medium), with humidity / wetness the leading environmental stress.

C3ISO 9223 corrosivity (indicative)
26/100environmental-severity index
9.3°Cseasonal temperature swing
83 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 #22 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 -42.3763, 146.5099 from WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0). View on OpenStreetMap.

Frequently asked questions

What type of power plant is Liapootah?

Liapootah is a 87 MW source-record hydro power plant in Tasmania, Australia, commissioned in 1960.

How much electricity does Liapootah generate?

Liapootah generates about 416 GWh of electricity per year.

How many homes can Liapootah power?

Its output is enough to supply roughly 118,857 homes.

Who operates Liapootah?

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

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