Insights from EA Hydrology and Water Resources Symposium 2024
With over 370 hydrology and water experts from around the country and overseas descending on Melbourne for the Engineers Australia Hydrology and Water Resources Symposium 2024 last week, our own experts added to the diversity of thought and discussion.
Senior Principal Water Dr Colin Terry and Principal Hydrologist Dr Prafulla Pokhrel each gave presentations in their fields and participated in conversations ranging from risk management and climate change to the role of artificial intelligence.
“It’s a 3-day conference with the main purpose of bringing people together to share not just technical insights, but also the success of our industry colleagues”, said Colin. “We honour the traditions as well as looking forward to the new and emerging technology. There are topics that skirt the edges of our discipline which stimulate discussion and really fire the imagination, such as cybernetics and AI”, he said. Colin was so inspired by a presentation on data measured from the overtopping of a weir with parapet walls that he then spent the weekend doing CFD modelling to see if he could reproduce the phenomena discussed.
The conference was very well attended, testament to the power of making and deepening industry connections. “It’s important to me to be present at this conference as there is no substitute for the sheer number of papers and presentations you get exposed to”, said Prafulla. He was especially keen to learn more about how machine learning can be integrated into hydrology, and looking at responses to climate change and the impact this might have on flood risk. It was an idea that threaded through much of the event.
Colin and Prafulla agreed that the conference was a way to share not only what we do well, but also what we are working on and what we are learning. After Colin’s presentation, one attendee asked him whether she should be asking developers to do the sort of analysis that she had just seen him present. “My word you should”, he replied. As he and Prafulla noted, it is conferences like this one that give regulators, researchers, consultants, and clients a window onto what’s possible, which in turn drives the industry forward.
Dr Colin Terry (L) and Dr Prafulla Pokhrel (R) at the symposium
Enjoy this insight into the topic related to Prafulla’s presentation:
and these recent thought leadership pieces from Colin:
https://entura.com.au/changing-the-climate-future/
https://entura.com.au/what-is-the-best-way-to-model-complex-water-structures/
Entura Director reflects on diversity and inclusion at ANCOLD 2024
A group of Entura’s dams professionals attended the 2024 ANCOLD Conference in Adelaide in November. Richard Herweynen, Entura’s Technical Director Water, reflected on how the demographic mix of ANCOLD attendees has changed over his many years of attending the conference and what more the sector can do to foster the greatest array of talent.
“I have always enjoyed seeing ANCOLD continue to evolve, and the last few years have been no exception,” said Richard. “I can certainly say that the demographic at my first ANCOLD conference in Sydney in 1998 was very different from the more diverse cohort in Adelaide in 2024!”
Richard was involved in the development of the original strategic plan and launch of ANCOLD’s ‘Young Professionals’ in 2010-11, and he was “amazed to see how dynamic and healthy this group is now”.
“I was excited to hear about the rebranding of this group to ‘Emerging Professionals’ and to hear about the group’s planned initiatives to support up-and-coming engineers, such as Entura’s talented emerging professionals including Kate Hammerton and Sammy Gibbs,” he said.
Another ANCOLD initiative launched at the 2024 conference was the inaugural Women in Large Dams (WILD) breakfast.
“It was inspiring to hear from the panel of women leaders and to hear their advice to individuals, organisations and the profession as a whole,” said Richard.
“I noted how at the individual level there was a lot of encouragement to women to be bold, say yes to new opportunities, embrace their difference, seek out mentors, and mentor others. But it was also important for all of us gathered at ANCOLD to reflect on how much our how our organisations must continue the effort to create safe and inclusive spaces for women to thrive in their careers, make it easier to shape a manageable work/life balance and juggle caring responsibilities, and achieve greater representation of women in leadership and senior technical roles – things we’re working hard to achieve at Entura.”
Richard was also impressed by a panel discussion at the conference that featured three recent migrants to Australia who are now working in the dam industry.
“This was another important conversation for ANCOLD to start and for each of our organisations and us as individuals to continue,” said Richard. “The session made me particularly aware of the sense of professional isolation that many new migrants experience.”
Reflecting on the session, Richard noted the following actions for those keen to support greater cultural diversity and inclusion in their workplaces:
- Make an effort to talk to a range of people at these sorts of events.
- Encourage networking, buddy systems and catch-ups to break down barriers.
- Be mindful, aware and patient.
- Try to help new migrants understand Australian standards.
- Encourage international engineers to share their experiences and international projects with the wider team and industry.
- Continue to create safe and supportive environments for people from diverse backgrounds.
Richard was pleased to see ANCOLD embrace a vision of greater diversity and inclusion in the dams sector.
“With the great engineering and scientific challenges facing the world, our profession needs to make every effort to attract, develop and retain talented people from every walk of life,” he said, “and diversity and inclusion doesn’t happen by accident.”
Entura farewells international delegation and concludes renewable energy training
After a hectic two weeks in Melbourne, the Entura clean energy and water institute (ECEWI) bade farewell to 18 executives from Bhutan, Bangladesh, India, the Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka. The Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) supported training was provided as part of the South Asia Regional Infrastructure Connectivity (SARIC) initiative implemented by the World Bank, IFC and Palladium.
Networking and establishing mutually beneficial cross-country relationships are a key component of the SARIC initiative. This is a much-anticipated highlight for the delegates, and we certainly didn’t disappoint. ECEWI held an introductory networking event which included a ‘speed networking’ ice-breaker and an introduction from a representative from each of the seven countries.
ECEWI’s program covered key renewable energy topics including wind, solar, batteries, grid connection, hybrid systems, policy, and finance and commercial. There were six classroom days, including a day with Australian Energy Market Operator (AEMO), and four site visits to operating assets including King Island.
The sessions were delivered by Entura’s most experienced renewable energy specialists, as well as guests from AEMO, Hydro Tasmania, Momentum Energy, Pentagreen Capital, Marsden Jacob Associates and a SARIC alumnus.
“While classroom work is important, there is nothing better to reinforce learnings than to be in the field, seeing and talking with the people that are making renewable energy a growing part of Australia’s energy solution,” said ECEWI’s Program Coordinator, Leesa deGroot.
“Everyone who was involved with this event went above and beyond our expectations, generously giving their time, expertise and insights. We couldn’t have delivered such a successful course without their help,” she said.
Amanda Ashworth, Entura’s Managing Director, added, “I have been amazed at the power of the connections made in these programs and have no doubt that there will be more great stories arising from the wonderful group of committed participants. It’s SARIC’s plan to encourage connectivity between the countries physically and through relationships. The power of the combination of capability training and interpersonal interactions came to the forefront recently when our alumni from 3 countries were involved in a landmark cross-national power agreement between Bangladesh and Nepal using Indian transmission infrastructure.
Renewable energy is such a dynamic market – and this timely training exposes participants to learn and grow to shape not just their own futures, but also the future of their country and the region.”
Young Entura engineer Sammy Gibbs wins award at national dams conference
Entura congratulates civil engineer Sammy Gibbs, who has won the Young Professional Best Paper award at ANCOLD 2024.
Sammy presented her paper, ‘Integrating emergency response actions into an RMC-LifeSim potential loss of life assessment’, in Adelaide during the ANCOLD conference, which ran from 11 to 14 November with the theme ‘Never the Same Dam Twice’.
Sammy explained that for practitioners and stakeholders it is important to have confidence in the estimate of the number of fatalities that could result from dam failure. This is carried out in a ‘potential loss of life’ (PLL) assessment, which may be undertaken using simulation models, such as RMC-LifeSim. The resultant PLL estimate is then used in assessments that inform significant financial decisions for dam owners, such as dam design, surveillance programs, major upgrades or decommissioning.
Sammy’s paper used a case study to demonstrate how emergency response information, obtained by collaborating with the dam owner, local council, local regulator, police and state emergency service, informed the RMC-LifeSim model inputs so that the model represented the local emergency response plan and likely PLL.
“The overall objective of the paper is to encourage practitioners to collaborate with local stakeholders and emergency response authorities when undertaking detailed PLL assessments as each community and emergency response is unique. Representative and realistic evacuation simulation models require the incorporation of local knowledge,” she said.
Sammy said that it was a pleasure to share the topic with such an engaged audience and to receive so many positive responses. “It’s been great to see so much interest in emergency response and how it informs engineering assessments,” she said.
Dr Amanda Ashworth, Entura’s Managing Director, said she was very proud to see Sammy recognised at the prestigious annual industry event for dam engineering and safety.
“Sammy is a greatly valued member of Entura’s dams team, and her work in flood studies, impact assessments, dam design and dam surveillance is making significant contributions to the safety and resilience of many communities in Tasmania,” she said. “Sharing her knowledge in a national forum is a powerful way to build a stronger industry and safer communities across Australia and beyond.”
The paper was co-authored by Entura’s Senior Principal (Dams and Headworks) Paul Southcott and Specialist Civil Engineer Craig Ludlow.
Entura welcomes international delegation for renewable energy training
Entura is proud to continue our support for the South Asia Regional Infrastructure Connectivity (SARIC) initiative from DFAT by delivering a renewable energy training to participants from the South Asia region.
SARIC is a $32 million initiative funded by the Australian Government since 2020 and is implemented by the World Bank, IFC and Palladium.
Over the next 2 weeks, the Entura clean energy and water institute (ECEWI) will be providing training to 20 executives from Bhutan, Bangladesh, India, the Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka.
The participants will gain knowledge of global practices being followed in Australia for renewables development and operation, learning about solar, wind, battery energy storage systems, renewable energy policies, clean energy financing, the National Electricity Market (NEM) and environmental, social and governance (ESG) principles. They will also experience first-hand various renewable energy assets to contextualise their learnings, including Yaloak South Wind Farm, Girgarre Solar Farm and Tasmania’s King Island Renewable Energy Integration Project.
Entura’s senior renewable energy specialists will be delivering the sessions, including Silke Schwartz, Director, Water and Renewables, Dr Andrew Wright, Senior Principal, Renewables and Energy, Donald Vaughan, Technical Director, Power, Dr Christopher Blanksby, Principal Engineer, Wind, and Dr Cynthia Nixon, Principal Environmental Consultant. Additionally, participants will have the opportunity to engage with guests from across the energy sector.
“Our people are experts in renewable energy and the opportunity to deliver this training is a testament to their skills and knowledge,” said Entura’s Managing Director, Dr Amanda Ashworth. “Capacity-building is as important as ever for a successful and sustainable clean energy transition, and we are passionate about facilitating this.”
Following this, a power markets training was delivered, covering key power market topics and creating important opportunities for networking and relationship building between Australian energy sector players and South Asian counterparts.
Entura has delivered training through ECEWI for over ten years. During that time, it has delivered more than 146 training programs to power and water clients in Australia and internationally. This includes dam safety training for the Malaysian Committee on Large Dams (MYCOLD), dam safety training for local Tasmanian utilities, and close relationships with Bangkok’s Asian Institute of Technology (AIT) and Kuala Lumpur’s Universiti Tenaga Nasional (UNITEN), among others.
Find out more about our customised training offerings here.
Entura celebrates Senior Surveyor Jeremy Ford’s 40 years of service
Entura is celebrating Senior Surveyor Jeremy Ford’s 40 years of service.
Jeremy joined the business in 1984, when it was known as the Hydro-Electric Commission. It later became Hydro Tasmania. Jeremy’s role in the surveying and spatial team was with the business’s dedicated consulting arm, Hydro Tasmania Consulting. This subsidiary later became Entura.
During Jeremy’s long career, he has been involved in several key Hydro Tasmania developments, such as the Anthony-Henty and King hydropower schemes, located on the Tasmania’s West Coast. He was also involved in the project to connect Tasmania to the National Electricity Market via the Basslink undersea interconnector between Tasmania and Victoria.
Jeremy during a bathymetry survey in Tasmania.
In his role he has contributed to other projects across Australia – in New South Wales, Victoria, South Australia, Queensland and the Northern Territory – as well as further afield, including in Papua New Guinea and Samoa.
“I’ve been to some really spectacular sites and some very special places,” says Jeremy. “I ended up in surveying because it’s something that involves so much outdoor work, and I always liked being outdoors – even when I was growing up.”
“I’ve seen a lot of places and a lot of Tasmania over my time, but you never get sick of it and the places you go to are all lovely.”
After 40 years in the industry, Jeremy’s advice for aspiring surveyors is to “say yes to a lot of opportunities”. “If you like to be outdoors and want to see a lot, then it’s for you.”
“Jeremy’s 40 years of service illustrates his commitment, dedication and loyalty over a long, fruitful career,” said Entura’s Managing Director, Dr Amanda Ashworth. “Over that time, he has made an enduring contribution to the power and water industry in Australia.”
Entura’s specialists share industry insights as 2024 ICOLD Conference gets underway in New Delhi
Entura specialists are sharing their insights into dam safety and pumped hydro energy storage at the International Commission on Large Dams (ICOLD) 2024 Annual Meeting and International Symposium, held this week in New Delhi.
Join us at the Entura booth, Stall 53 (pictured below), to meet and discuss dam safety, pumped hydro storage and training.
Amanda Ashworth (Managing Director) and Richard Herweynen (Technical Director, Water) Praveen Kumar (Specialist Consultant) and Rajeev Raina (India Director and team leader) look forward to engaging with technical peers, existing and potential clients, and a range of stakeholders in the water and power sector.
Amanda, Richard and Praveen will present papers on 1 and 2 October.
Amanda’s presentation (1 October), ‘Building dam safety capability for the future: an essential part of your dam safety program’, focuses on the need for those who design, operate, inspect and maintain dams to have the right skills and competencies to comply with evolving standards, apply new technologies, and respond to changing operational circumstances and demands.
“Water and power utilities and asset owners are recognising that investing in the capability of their people assets is equally important as investing in their physical assets, and that well-trained people are key to dam safety,” says Amanda.
“I am proud to present our insights based on Entura’s experience of partnering with a range of stakeholders across the Indo-Pacific region to deliver contemporary, tailored, workplace-based training informed by global best practice via the Entura clean energy and water institute – helping organisations to better manage risk and achieve their long-term business goals and strategy.”
Richard will present 2 papers on 2 October: ‘Hydro Tasmania’s risk-based, systems approach to dam safety management’, and ‘The importance of pumped hydro in Australia’s energy transition’.
“It’s exciting to see the increasing interest in pumped hydro’s ability to support the energy transition by providing the crucial deep storage and firming solutions needed as grids incorporate more variable renewable energy sources, like wind and solar PV,” says Richard.
“I’ll be sharing some insights into Entura’s experience of working on Genex Power’s Kidston Pumped Storage Hydro Project in Queensland and the process of selecting and designing a new pumped hydro opportunity in Tasmania.”
Praveen also presents on 2 October on ‘Creating pumped hydro energy storage atlases to understand opportunities: Examples from Australia and India’. The presentation will explore Entura’s approach to identifying and screening potential pumped hydro opportunities, which has been applied successfully in India as well as in Australia.
This week’s ICOLD gathering is the organisation’s 92nd annual meeting, attracting more than 1500 participants, with more than 300 presentations and 8 workshops across 5 days on the theme of ‘Dams for People, Water, Environment and Development’.
Entura expertise recognised at 2024 Engineers Australia Excellence Awards
Two of Entura’s engineers were recognised for their expertise, achievements and contributions to the profession at the 2024 Engineers Australia Excellence Awards last week.
Kate Hammerton, Renewables Engineer, took home the award for Emerging Professional Engineer of the Year (Tasmanian chapter), at an event held in Hobart on Friday. Kate was commended for her technical expertise, contributions to the engineering community, and her demonstrated aptitude on renewable energy projects in Australia and internationally.
Kate will represent Tasmania at the national awards, which will take place in Brisbane in November.
“It is lovely to have been put forward by my colleagues and the business as a whole for this award,” said Kate.
“To be chosen among the talented finalists in the Tasmania branch was an honour. I am looking forward to the national awards and meeting the many other talented and accomplished engineers there.”
Kate (right) accepting her award in Hobart.
Senior Power Systems Engineer Kali Liaka was a finalist in the Emerging Professional Engineer of the Year category (Victorian chapter), recognising her professional achievements and engineering contributions over the past few years.
“My nomination for the Engineers Australia Excellence Awards is another example of the great support I receive in Entura and I am very grateful for this,” said Kali.
“It was definitely a great moment of my career to be chosen as a finalist for an engineering award and my nomination has given me an opportunity to reflect on my achievements and define my focus for the following years.”
Kali (third from left) celebrating with colleagues at the Melbourne event.
“To have a winner and a finalist in this year’s Engineering Excellence Awards is a testament to the talent of Entura’s people, particularly our emerging professional engineers,” said Entura’s Managing Director, Dr Amanda Ashworth.
“At Entura, we see Kate’s and Kali’s hard work first hand so it’s great to see them recognised by the engineering community. They both go above and beyond to deliver excellent results for clients and are always strong supports for their teams,” said Amanda.
“We are so proud of their technical expertise, leadership skills, and the innovative approaches they take to solving client problems, and we look forward to supporting them to continue to grow and thrive in their careers.”
Both Kate and Kali have been involved in key renewable energy projects in Australia and internationally. Kate was the Assistant Project Manager for Owner’s Engineer work for Tasmania’s Cattle Hill and Granville Harbour wind farm projects, which helped Tasmania achieve 100% renewable energy. She has also contributed to increasing renewable energy in the Pacific, supporting the Tonga Renewable Energy Project, which aims to bring the country’s renewable energy to 70% by 2030.
In Australia, Kali was involved in the landmark Agnew Hybrid Renewable Microgrid project, powering a Western Australian goldmine with a solar, wind, battery and gas microgrid to reduce its carbon emissions.
In previous years, several individuals and projects have received Engineers Australia Excellence Awards. Richard Herweynen (Technical Director, Water), Donald Vaughan (Technical Director, Power), Seth Langford (Principal Engineer, Renewable Energy), David Gerke (Principal Engineer, Civil) and Paul Southcott (Senior Principal, Dams & Headworks) have all achieved the Professional Engineer of the Year (TAS) award, and Entura won the Tasmanian project category in 2016 for our work on Meander Dam.
Entura specialist recognised for data management expertise at 12d Tech Forum
Entura’s Andrew Shaw, Senior Technical Officer Civil, has been recognised for his data management expertise at the recent 12d Tech Forum held in Brisbane.
Andrew received the data management award for his contributions to Hydro Tasmania’s Battery of the Nation program of works. For the Tarraleah Redevelopment component of Battery of the Nation, he has implemented 12d Model for design and 12d Synergy for data management.
Andrew Shaw (right) receiving his award.
The Entura team’s use of 12d Synergy creates a ‘common data environment’ for optimised workflow, data management and version controls. The team adopted best-practice international standard ISO 19650 naming conventions and executed data management principles across pumped hydro energy storage (PHES) hydropower design elements, allowing all involved in the extensive, multidimensional and multi-disciplinary project to seamlessly store, manage, access and roll-back any version of files throughout the project.
“The use of 12d Synergy and ISO 19650 naming conventions is becoming the standard across sectors such as transport, roads and drainage, where companies have thousands of people all working in the same project files and an obvious need for cohesion and integration,” Andrew explained.
“However, it’s relatively new in Australia’s hydropower and renewable energy sector. Implementing this data management tool for Battery of the Nation demonstrates that a boutique consulting firm like Entura can keep up with other tier-one consulting firms and lead the way in our industry.”
“On a business improvement level, adopting the software and our file-naming conventions made for efficient, streamlined workflows across the various teams working on the project in our different office locations across Australia and in India, with everyone working in a centralised library,” he said.
“This award is a testament to Andrew’s proactive thinking and role as a changemaker in the 12d Synergy space at Entura. Andrew’s excellent work demonstrates Entura’s commitment to using advanced data management techniques and software in an ever-evolving digital landscape, so that we can futureproof our processes and better serve our clients,” said Managing Director, Dr Amanda Ashworth.
“It’s particularly important to Entura, as the consulting arm of Hydro Tasmania, to have been able to make such a valuable contribution so close to home by supporting one of Tasmania’s key energy projects that forms part of the Battery of the Nation vision,” she said.
During the Tech Forum, Andrew delivered a presentation on Entura’s award-winning work, demonstrating how 12d Synergy software technology was a core element in the design process as well as the data management for the Battery of the Nation project.
Applying 12d Synergy and striving for ISO 19650 standards involved several steps, including engaging with stakeholders to determine the asset classes for hydropower, categorising these in line with ISO 19650 conventions, implementing these categories into the common data environment, and training team members across several Entura offices to use the new conventions and processes.
“I really valued the opportunity to attend the tech forum and present the work we do at Entura and the innovative ways we’re harnessing 12d software,” said Andrew.
“Being able to hear from others across a range of sectors and disciplines – surveying, hydrographic and flood modelling, roads and transport – was also insightful. We even heard from one 12d software programmer, Tadgh Gunter, who’s only 18, and is already so knowledgeable – I think it made a few of us in the room feel pretty old!”
Entura has been supporting Hydro Tasmania’s Battery of the Nation initiative since its inception. Upgrade works to the Tarraleah hydropower scheme are currently underway, with construction occurring at Lake King William and the upgrade of Mossy Marsh Dam now complete.
Entura welcomes new Senior Principal, Hydropower, Flavio Campos to the team
Entura is pleased to announce the appointment of internationally renowned civil and hydropower engineer, Flavio Campos, as Senior Principal, Hydropower.
Flavio is already supervising construction on the Genex Kidston PHES project in Queensland and has joined the Entura team on the Tarraleah upgrade as part of Hydro Tasmania’s Battery of the Nation program.
Flavio Campos (left) at the Tarraleah Upgrade project site with Anthony Hills, Hydro Tasmania’s Senior Site Manager
Originally from Brazil and graduating from the prestigious Instituto Tecnológico de Aeronáutica (ITA), Flavio has worked around the world on significant and important hydropower projects ranging in size and form, from 4,125MW projects to a small plant of 30MW.
He has worked in Tanzania, Laos, Panama, Canada, Chile, and China, and also holds a Chartered Professional Engineer accreditation from Engineers Australia.
Speaking about his most recent project in Sri Lanka, Flavio said: “Even if they’re smaller projects, they often have the same complexity. There can be interesting challenges if resourcing is stretched or hard to come by.”
If there is anyone who loves a challenge, it’s Flavio. He points out that one of his strengths is to see the bigger picture first. He takes time to understand the challenges, see risks and opportunities and works with project teams to find the best solutions.
It’s Flavio’s desire to learn about new aspects of the hydropower industry that drew him to Entura. He came across Entura’s pumped hydro atlas at a conference in the US, and after taking a short trip to Australia to learn more, he felt the pumped hydro energy storage (PHES) project opportunities here were too good to miss.
“These projects are very demanding and I want to use all my skills to ensure their success. I like to be on the cutting edge and am always looking to challenge myself. I have this accumulated knowledge and want to use it,” he said.
Along with his years of practical knowledge comes the desire to pass it to the next generation of engineers. “I love to coach younger professionals and pass my knowledge to them,” he said.
It must run in the family: his father is a mechanical engineer, and his second daughter is a civil engineer. “I didn’t push her,” he said, “she told me at the last minute that she wanted to pursue this career. It’s nice.”
Entura’s Senior Principal, Hydropower, is a technical leadership position in hydropower and across the broader business. It is influential with a range of project stakeholders and supports the growth and development of others, while contributing to shaping the strategic direction of Entura.
Australian Clean Energy Summit raises important themes for the energy transition
Entura’s Managing Director Amanda Ashworth and Business Development Manager Patrick Pease attended the Australian Clean Energy Summit held in Sydney this week.
“It was heartening and inspiring to be among the more than 1600 delegates gathering to discuss solutions to expedite Australia’s clean energy transition,” said Amanda.
“I am always proud to reflect on the many ways in which Entura contributes to this crucial and urgent purpose – including supporting our clients with planning, environmental and social impact assessments, design, grid connection support, transmission and distribution solutions, due diligence, asset management, training and more.”
At the summit, CEO of Hydro Tasmania (Entura’s parent company) Ian Brooksbank was part of a panel discussing the critical importance of long-duration storage.
“Entura is lending significant expertise to progress Hydro Tasmania’s plans for more long-duration storage through a new pumped hydro scheme and a redevelopment of an aging hydropower scheme to operate more flexibly to match the needs of the National Electricity Market,” said Amanda.
“We are also supporting clients across Australia and the Indo-Pacific region with energy storage solutions including batteries and pumped hydro to unlock more wind and solar and increase the security and resilience of power systems.”
Getting projects out of the ground
Patrick noted a strong focus from developers on the many challenges and hurdles delaying the delivery of new generation and storage projects in Australia.
“We heard loud and clear that project proponents continue to be frustrated with the time and complexities involved in getting their projects through planning and approvals and achieving grid connection agreements,” he said.
“In Australia, we are looking at close to a decade in some instances to get a project off the ground, so there’s simply no leeway for getting things wrong along the way. Project proponents should be seeking support from practitioners with a lot of real-world experience, deep understanding of the issues, and highly developed judgement to streamline complex processes as much as possible and avoid any rework.
“In this fast-moving sector, the judgement that grows from experience will be key to navigating uncertainties and maximising the chance of success.”
A fast but fair and positive transition
Amanda reflected that the urgency of the transition and the need to streamline approvals and accelerate delivery must not come at the expense of communities, the environment or integrity.
“Renewable energy projects will inevitably have some impacts, so how can we ensure that we minimise those impacts and find the right balance when compromises seem necessary?” she said.
“At this year’s summit, I observed greater maturity and nuance in discussions around social and environmental responsibility in the sector, with an increasing focus on moving beyond environmental offsets and towards achieving net positives and lasting benefits for nature and for communities,” she said.
“It’s important that the industry guards against simplistic equations in which local impacts of a renewables project are obscured or undervalued due to the project’s overarching benefits for climate change mitigation.
“We all need to recognise that every project is unique, that there are sometimes shades of grey, and that we should pause to ask the right questions and think very carefully about priorities.”
Pushing the limits
Amanda emphasised that a fast transition is essential but will “push the limits” of process, labour, expertise and materials.
“Our industry and policy makers should be looking to pull every possible lever,” says Amanda, “such as regional approaches, global collaboration, innovation and digitisation, and, of course, major investments in the talent pipeline.
“Investing in technical capabilities and leadership capacity will be crucial for our sector to meet the challenges ahead, which is why Entura is putting great effort into attracting and retaining talent, supporting our people to grow, and sharing our knowledge with our regional neighbours through the Entura clean energy and water institute.”
Read more Entura insights into sustainable renewable energy and water projects in our series of thought leadership articles – and listen to our ‘Behind the Scenes’ podcasts to hear from our people.
Entura wins accolades at 2024 National Awards for Planning Excellence
Entura’s Environment & Planning Team has won the Stakeholder Engagement category at this year’s National Awards for Planning Excellence.
The team received the accolade alongside project lead Niche Studio and client Clarence City Council for their collaboration on a local area plan for Seven Mile Beach in southern Tasmania.
L-R: Darren Crombie, National President of the Planning Institute of Australia; Nicola Smith, Founding Director of Niche Planning Studio; Robyn Olsen, Lead Strategic Planner at Clarence City Council; Bunfu Yu, Senior Environmental Planner at Entura; and Tyler Agius, Director, State Facilitated Development, at the Department of Housing, Local Government, Planning and Public Works. Credit: Planning Institute of Australia, 2024
The group were commended by the judges for their proactive, tactical approach to overcoming an age-old planning challenge of engaging with community members who are often unable or unwilling to engage.
“The award is close to our team’s heart, as many of us live locally and enjoy recreational activities in and around the Seven Mile Beach community,” said Entura’s Senior Environmental Planner, Bunfu Yu.
“The partnership brought together Entura’s knowledge of the community and the physical environment with Niche Studio’s strategic planning and urban design expertise.”
The team’s unique approach to community engagement included conducting intercept surveys, which they had explored at a previous Planning Institute of Australia conference and were able to apply for the Seven Mile Beach Local Area Plan.
“Engaging with the communities you are planning for is a crucial part of creating liveable and sustainable futures,” said Bunfu.
“Engagement methods aren’t one size fits all. In this instance, intercept surveys allowed us to proactively engage with a broad section of the local community at places most intersected – the beach, coffee shop, local grocer, fuel station.”
The awards ceremony took place in Melbourne in late May, as part of the Planning Institute of Australia’s 2024 Planning Congress.
During the three-day event, Grace Elliott, Graduate Planner at Entura, was also selected to showcase her university thesis poster, ‘Exploring the Drivers, Barriers and Enablers of School-based Urban Greening in the Face of Climate Change’.
“Since her graduation, Grace has been working with the environmental approvals and social team on Hydro Tasmania’s Battery of the Nation initiative, as well as working within the social safeguards team making meaningful contributions to projects in the Federated States of Micronesia,” said Bunfu.
“Planning is so diverse, and at Entura our planners have varying interests, but together they are making spaces and places better for communities locally, nationally and internationally.”
The award follows several years of successes at the Planning Institute of Australia Awards, with Entura’s Senior Environmental Planner, Bunfu Yu, recognised as 2023 Young Planner of the Year at the state and national levels. Bunfu also won the Outstanding Student Project award in the 2020 National Awards for Planning Excellence.
Entura celebrates biodiversity discoveries at Lagoon of Islands following restoration efforts
Entura is celebrating the return of a number of species of native fauna and flora to Tasmania’s Lagoon of Islands after more than 40 years.
Lagoon of Islands was dammed in 1964. The dam wall was removed in 2012 and rehabilitation efforts in the area began. Entura has been involved in its restoration since then, working alongside Hydro Tasmania to provide water quality and vegetation monitoring at the site.
Kevin Macfarlane, Entura’s Water Quality Consultant, who has been involved in the project from the start, said “After the dam wall came down and nature was left to run its course, the area began to rebound. It wasn’t long until I was finding zooplankton in the water I was sampling, which had returned rapidly and in abundance. I also found two large copepod species, which had only ever been found in two places before – a roadside puddle somewhere along South Arm, and a lagoon on Bruny Island.”
“The fact that these species sprang back with minimal intervention is a testament to how resilient these wetlands are, and the diversity of life they’re home to,” said Kevin.
The Australasian bittern, dubbed the ‘bunyip bird’ for its unique, gulping call, was recently heard in the area by bittern expert Geoff Shannon, who also spotted a mating pair with two chicks. With less than 1000 mature Australasian bitterns left in the wild, it marks a successful milestone for the lagoon’s recovery.
Australasian Bittern. Credit: By Imogen Warren – Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=132850477
“The bittern is a nationally threatened species and there aren’t many records of them in Tasmania, but we know they were local to Lagoon of Islands before it was dammed,” said Raymond Brereton, Entura’s Team Leader of Environment and Planning.
“It’s exciting to see them return to the site, but particularly special to know they are breeding here again too.”
In addition to the return of the zooplankton and bittern, a plant that had previously formed a core part of the wetland’s reed mat, Baumea arthrophylla or ‘fine twig-sedge’, also began to recolonise the lagoon. With recovery efforts from Entura and Hydro Tasmania, the plant flourished, and in 2022 the wetland was declared self-sustaining and effectively rehabilitated.
The return of the bittern, zooplankton and copepods is testament to that, as is the rebound of several other plant and animal species, including Myriophyllum variifolium (variable water milfoil), Potamogeton cheesmanii (pondweed), Triglochin procera (water ribbons), Chorizandra enodis (black bristle sedge) and Ptunarra Brown butterflies (Oreixenica ptunarra).
“It was basically bare ground when we first started monitoring and now it’s almost 100% vegetation cover,” said Raymond. “We are fortunate to have observed its regeneration and are proud to have been part of facilitating that.”
Entura will continue to monitor the site to ensure its ongoing health.
Interim changes at Entura
Entura has announced changes within its management team, with long-standing Managing Director, Tammy Chu now appointed as Hydro Tasmania’s Interim Executive General Manager Construction and Dr Amanda Ashworth becoming Acting Managing Director for Entura.
Tammy’s new role will see her leading the project delivery of Hydro Tasmania’s Battery of the Nation program as it progresses through crucial planning and design phases. “I’m excited to take on this new challenge, and after 13 years as Managing Director at Entura, I know I’ll miss working alongside the amazing team of people that drives the success of the business. However, I’m not far away, and with the work involved with Battery of the Nation, I know I can rely on the Entura team to support and partner with us for success,” says Tammy.
Tammy Chu (left) has been appointed Hydro Tasmania’s Interim Executive General Manager Construction, with Dr Amanda Ashworth (right) becoming Acting Managing Director for Entura.
Hydro Tasmania CEO, Ian Brooksbank said “this is a new role that recognises the critical importance of Battery of the Nation projects in our Purpose, Vision and Strategy with the next stage requiring even greater focus, strategic planning and coordination. Tammy is eminently qualified for the job.”
Amanda has been with the business for 23 years and over that time has held a number of roles across Entura and been involved in project direction of major engineering projects. For the past five years she’s been part of Entura’s Executive Team, most recently as Director of Strategy, Sales and Commercial. She is well known for creating and driving the Entura clean energy and water institute (ECEWI) since its launch in 2012, which has delivered training to Entura’s clients nationally and internationally. Through ECEWI and other connections, Amanda has maintained a significant international profile across the Indo-Pacific.
Of the appointment of Amanda, Ian commented “It’s fair to say that Amanda knows our business inside out and her contribution is significant across Entura’s strategic and operational frameworks and procedures.”
The interim and acting roles are currently planned to end in December 2024.
Entura’s Managing Director invited to Canberra for Filipino President’s address to Parliament
Entura’s Managing Director, Tammy Chu, travelled to Canberra last month to be present for the address to Parliament by the President of the Republic of Philippines, Ferdinand R Marcos Jr..
Tammy was invited by the Speaker of the House of Representatives to attend the address. This comes as the result of Entura’s continued relationship with the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, our attendance at recent international summits and talks such as the World Hydropower Congress, and Tammy’s involvement in sharing Entura’s sustainable energy mission with other global leaders to build reciprocal relations.
During his address, President Marcos Jr. spoke to the challenges and issues facing both the Philippines and Australia, and our strength in facing these together.
“We collaborate to strengthen and seek new business links, to bolster our economic security, and to develop responses to economic coercion. We work together to promote and enhance the flow of environmentally sustainable investment and to explore cooperation on mineral resources development and climate and energy transition,” he said.
“Ultimately, our partnership finds its anchor in our common commitment to ensuring that this region keeps to the path of peace, builds resilience, remains focused on delivering dividends to our citizens and our communities.”
He also spoke about the looming threat of climate change, saying: “My administration is committed to accelerating our just, affordable, sustainable, and inclusive energy transition towards carbon neutrality.”
“The Philippines has the potential to be a net carbon sink, absorbing more carbon dioxide than we emit. Yet, we are one of the most climate-vulnerable countries in the world, ranking first in the 2023 World Risk Index.
This glaring disproportion between our share of responsibility and our vulnerability reflects an injustice that must be corrected. Developed countries must do more. And they must do it now,” he said.
“It was an honour to be invited to Parliament House to hear President Marcos Jr. deliver his address,” said Entura’s Managing Director, Tammy Chu.
“Entura is proud of our role in strengthening the relationship and collaboration between our two countries. We continue to support our clients in the region with their renewable energy developments and share knowledge through training programs delivered by our clean energy and water institute.”
“As President Marcos Jr. expressed, the Philippines are committed to reaching carbon neutrality through a sustainable, inclusive, affordable, and just energy transition. We are equally committed to supporting them on this journey to achieve mutually beneficial economic, sustainability, environmental and social outcomes, and extend the Australia-Philippines relationship.”
Entura has supported several dam and hydropower projects in the Philippines, including Bulanog Batang hydropower plant and a failure modes assessment for a series of multipurpose dams.
Entura celebrates successful delivery of power market training program
Entura is celebrating the success of its latest power market training program for international delegates, delivered through the Entura clean energy and water institute (ECEWI).
Course participants with ECEWI Business Manager, Amanda Ashworth (centre).
The Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) supported training was provided as part of the South Asia Regional Infrastructure Connectivity (SARIC) initiative managed by Palladium. Over the last two weeks, 20 engineers and executives with roles in the power sector from India, Nepal, Bangladesh, Bhutan and Sri Lanka have participated in the course.
Networking and establishing mutually beneficial cross-country relationships are a key component of the SARIC initiative. To meet these objectives, ECEWI curated networking events in both Melbourne, Victoria and Hobart, Tasmania, with relevant industry figures. In Melbourne, this included Kane Thornton, Chief Executive of the Clean Energy Council and Mason Interlandi, Business Liaison and External Relations Officer from the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade’s Victorian State Office. While in Hobart, participants met with keynote speakers Roger Gill, Chair of TasNetworks and Marinus Link, Erin van Maanen, Executive General Manager of Strategy at Hydro Tasmania, Bess Clark, Senior Executive at TasRex and Michael Connarty, ACEN Australia’s Head of Operations and Trading. Both events included other invited guests from the power sector. Tasmanian State Director of DFAT, Ruth Baird, also welcomed and met with the delegates separately on site during their first training day in Hobart.
Back row, L-R: Entura’s Senior Consultant, Ajit Garg, Entura’s Technical Director, Power, Donald Vaughan, Hydro Tasmania’s Executive General Manager, Erin van Maanen, ACEN Australia’s Head of Operations and Trading, Michael Connarty, Chair of TasNetworks and Marinus Link, Roger Gill, and TasRex Senior Executive, Bess Clark. Front row, L-R: Palladium Group’s Director, International Development Programs, Farheen Khurrum and Entura’s Director, Sales, Strategy and Commercial and ECEWI Business Manager, Amanda Ashworth.
ECEWI’s program covered key power market topics including transmission and interconnection, power exchange market models, details of the Australian national electricity market, the changing nature of markets in a renewable energy future and the role of new interconnection, the factors involved in participating operating and participating in those markets, and the importance of environment, social and governance principles for new generation and transmission. Time was also spent on covering the South Asian context in particular, the status and progress in each country and the opportunities and challenges in increasing interconnection and establishing power exchange markets in the region. The sessions were delivered by Entura’s most experienced power specialists, as well as guests from the Australian Energy Market Operator (AEMO), the University of Tasmania, Hydro Tasmania, Momentum Energy, Marinus Link and a practising lawyer in the Australian power sector.
The program also included a Welcome to Country and Walk on Country. This provided delegates with an important understanding of some of lutruwita / Tasmania’s First Nations history and cultures, with some reflecting on the value of an indigenous perspective also applicable in their home countries.
“The training provided participants with a deeper understanding of the Australian power market, but most importantly, how its regulations, processes and components can be applied to the sector in their home countries,” said ECEWI’s Program Coordinator, Leesa deGroot.
“For example, the learnings about Basslink and the proposed Marinus Link undersea cables are directly applicable for those from Sri Lanka and India, with the two countries positioned to explore similar interconnectivity opportunities.”
“We thank everyone who was involved in making this training happen and are proud to have again delivered a successful and valuable course for SARIC,” she said.
Amanda Ashworth, ECEWI’s Business Manager and Entura’s Director, Sales, Strategy and Commercial, added, “building networks and connections are such important ways to share knowledge, and to help pave the way for future collaborations. I am truly excited about what this talented group of people can achieve within and between their respective organisations and nations. I know it is a challenge to create connectivity and markets in a region where the scale is enormous and the task seems insurmountable. I trust them to take the lessons from Australia, including what is not applicable, and that they will work to the end goal of prosperity and sustainability in their communities.
In the face of a changing energy landscape, this training provided participants with the opportunities to learn and grow in ways that can make them leaders in their fields and continue to work together step by step to shape the future.”
Entura receives top accolades at 2023 Planning Excellence Awards Tasmania
Entura has received top accolades at the Tasmanian chapter of the Planning Institute of Australia’s 2023 Planning Excellence Awards.
The ‘Stakeholder Engagement’ category was won by Niche Planning Studio and Entura’s Environment and Planning Team, for their joint work on the Seven Mile Beach Local Area Plan. The plan was delivered for their Tasmanian client, Clarence City Council, who was also recognised for the award.
“This win is meaningful and important to the project team and to our client, as it recognises the use of an innovative community engagement method to best meet the needs of our client, and of the community,” said Entura’s Senior Environmental Planner, Bunfu Yu.
“It goes to show how collaboration and knowledge-sharing can lead to success for all parties.”
L-R: Entura’s Water Management Team Leader, Scott Lobdale, Niche Planning Studio’s Director, Nicola Smith, and Entura’s Senior Environmental Planner, Bunfu Yu.
The team took a unique approach to community engagement for the work, conducting what are known as intercept surveys. This was a method they had learnt at a previous Planning Institute of Australia conference, which they put into practice for the Seven Mile Beach Local Area Plan.
“The more general approaches to community outreach are town hall meetings, drop-in sessions, or online surveys. These methods have been used for a long time and while are still successful, there are challenges in engaging with people who may otherwise not have time to participate,” Bunfu explained.
“By contrast, the intercept surveys involved getting out and about in the community. By keeping the questions succinct and uniform, we joined people for their daily beach walk, coffee run, while waiting for their golf tee-off time or in line to pay for groceries, and this led to engagement with a much broader cross-section of the community.”
“Despite keeping the conversations short, the team were able to harness a lot of crucial themes about the community’s thoughts and concerns for the area’s long-term growth. For this particular project, we increased our reach to more than 25% of the community.”
“We are really proud of our partnership with Niche Planning Studio on these strategic planning projects for various local governments, which generally always have a vital community consultation component,” said Bunfu.
“As consultants, we are privileged to be able to genuinely work with communities and hear their feedback, and convert the feedback into meaningful actions that our client [Clarence City Council] can consider for their next budget or their next development of strategic documents, and together plan for more sustainable and liveable communities.”
Entura was also involved in other parts of the Seven Mile Beach Local Area Plan, including terrestrial ecological surveys by our in-house senior ecologists, while the Water Management Team provided advice on stormwater and groundwater management.
“This project is important to the community to guide the growth of the beachside village, while respecting the sense of ownership and sharing in the pride of the community. The team developed a vision based on community feedback, and the local area plan provides positive and sustainable planning directions for the future of the town, with a focus on social cohesion through quality urban design and vibrant public spaces,” Bunfu said of the work.
Community consultation and engagement are integral components of strategic and statutory planning processes. The opportunity to have meaningful and participatory discussion develops and nurtures relationships and builds trust. No one size fits all, and consultation programs and methodologies should be tailored to best fit the community. As well as the strategic planning projects that Entura have partnered with Niche Planning Studio on in Tasmania, the team are also experienced in consultation for renewable energy and infrastructure projects across the country.
Entura welcomes visit from India’s High Commissioner to Australia
Entura recently welcomed a visit from India’s High Commissioner to Australia, Mr Manpreet Vohra, and Consulate General of India, Melbourne, Dr Sushil Kumar.
The pair travelled to Hobart, Tasmania, last week, where they met with Entura’s Managing Director, Ms Tammy Chu, Director of Strategy, Sales and Commercial, Dr Amanda Ashworth, and Senior Consultant, Mr Ajit Garg.
L-R: Dr Sushil Kumar, Mr Manpreet Vohra, Ms Tammy Chu, Dr Amanda Ashworth and Mr Ajit Garg
“It was a pleasure to meet Mr Vohra and Dr Kumar during their visit to Tasmania,” said Tammy. “It was a great opportunity to further strengthen our close relationship with India, and discuss how we can support one another in achieving our mutual clean energy goals.”
“I have been privileged to be involved in furthering the India–Australia relationship through several events this year, as a member of the Australian Senior Business Delegation to India and a subsequent Roundtable with business leaders in Sydney. I am also now on the Australia–India CEO Forum’s Energy, Resources, Net Zero and Critical Minerals Joint Working Group.”
“These opportunities have been realised through Entura’s close work with India,” said Tammy. “We have forged relationships with government officials across the country and within Australia over many years. Entura is an excellent example of how India and Australia can support each other towards our clean energy goals and the path towards net zero.”
Entura has had a physical presence in India for 17 years, through the Entura office in New Delhi. The highly skilled India team consults to clients throughout South and South-East Asia, as well as contributing to Australian projects.
Entura has also delivered successful exchange programs, training workshops and capacity-building initiatives in India through the Entura clean energy and water institute (ECEWI). This includes dam safety training for India’s Central Water Commission as part of its Dam Rehabilitation and Improvement Project (DRIP), and the South Asia Regional Infrastructure Connectivity Framework – an Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade initiative.
“Developing a skilled workforce is such an important part of the clean energy journey, and we’ve been able to provide knowledge sharing and capability building to our partners in India to achieve this,” said Amanda.
“Lifting the capability of the industry’s current and future professionals is a critical part of ensuring ongoing sustainability of the power and water sectors, and there’s much we can share with – and learn from – our international counterparts.”
Entura experts reflect on the Symphony of the Renewables World Wind Energy Conference 2023
Experts and thought leaders from Australia and overseas came together this month for the 21st World Wind Energy Conference (WWEC), held in Hobart, Tasmania.
This year’s theme was ‘Symphony of the Renewables’, highlighting the advantages of integrating wind power with other renewable energy sources and storage solutions. It was the first WWEC held in Australia since 2005.
As an avid player in the wind power sector, Entura was represented at the conference by our Director, Strategy, Sales and Commercial, Dr Amanda Ashworth, and Senior Principal, Renewables and Energy Storage, Dr Andrew Wright. Our Principal Renewable Energy Engineer, Ray Massie, was also in attendance, giving a presentation on ‘The rapid growth in off-grid hybrid systems in Australia and Pacific’.
“When Hydro Tasmania started deploying renewables into remote off-grid power systems, there were few if any prior examples to turn to, so we were pioneers,” said Ray.
“When we started this journey there were many questions around system reliability and availability, power quality, protection system and operational complexity, to name a few. We pushed through the technical challenges to create world-leading examples of how zero-diesel operations can be achieved in remote locations.
“It’s exciting to see the progress that has been achieved since those first forays, and to see off-grid hybrid systems at large scale now being deployed on a fully commercial basis.”
King Island Renewable Energy Hub, one of Hydro Tasmania’s first off-grid renewables systems.
Entura’s parent company, Hydro Tasmania, also had a presence at the event, with CEO Ian Brooksbank and Executive General Manager Strategy, Erin van Maanen, both among the 25 keynote speakers.
“Sitting in that room made me proud to be part of Entura, and the wider Hydro Tasmania,” Amanda reflected. “Our people are incredibly talented and have made a significant contribution to renewable energy projects in Australia and internationally. It’s a testament to the expertise we’ve developed and shared between both businesses.”
“It also made me proud to be a Tasmanian,” she added. “Several of the keynote speakers were people who had once been involved with Hydro Tasmania in some way, or were fellow Tasmanians. Some of the first wind farm developments in Australia – King Island, Flinders Island, Woolnorth – happened in Tasmania. We’re a state that’s already achieved net-zero, and have been fully powered by renewable energy thanks to our hydro-electricity and wind projects.
“It’s a special thing to share everything we’ve learned over this journey with others in the industry, and demonstrates what’s achievable when we all invest in the right areas.”
The conference provided opportunities for discussions around integration, talent pipeline, and what’s needed to phase out coal generation in favour of renewable energy sources. The magnitude of the task was laid out clearly, with social and environmental considerations, transmission challenges, and workforce challenges, however, the benefits of investing in wind power for a net-zero future are paramount.
“One of the things that stood out to me during the conference was the enormity of the mission to replace coal,” said Amanda. “The task can feel paralysing and overwhelming, but the reminder was – as this year’s theme makes clear – it can be achieved if we integrate these renewable energy sources and storage solutions.”
“Achieving net-zero won’t fall to just one type of clean energy investment – it will require a mix of technologies, skilled people, and harnessing the right opportunities as they arise. And we must do so with environment, social, and governance principles in mind and ensure we engage with stakeholders in a meaningful way,” she said.
“There are concerns in the industry around the time it can take to develop and commission a renewable energy project and, while there is an imperative to support a faster transition, we absolutely need to ensure sustainability and active community engagement.”
Andrew also explored the opportunities and challenges for the energy industry following the conference. Putting his musings in a thought leadership article, he outlined the need for a collaborative, industry-wide approach rather than a zero-sum project-vs-project approach, to meet ambitious renewable energy targets.
Additionally, acknowledging the costs of the net-zero mission, he emphasised: “this is a once-in-a-lifetime rebuilding of our electricity system into something that is more reliable than we currently have, ready for the future, and cleaner and better for our towns and communities and the wider world”.
Entura crunches the numbers to better understand Tasmania’s West Coast rainfall
This week, two of Entura’s water specialists presented at the Hydrology and Water Resources Symposium of Engineers Australia’s National Committee on Water Engineering, which was held in Sydney over 13-15 November.
Their study focused on better understanding extreme rainfall events affecting Bastyan Dam, a Hydro Tasmania dam located on the Pieman River on the West Coast of Tasmania.
“All dams need to be regularly reassessed in terms of their risk position,” said Ben James, Graduate Water Engineer. “An important part of this assessment is ensuring that the dam can withstand floods and other extreme weather events.”
“It’s vital to continually revisit our projections of rare rainfalls using contemporary methods so that we can understand whether the dam’s design and condition remain safe.”
Bastyan Dam has a catchment area of approximately 1,400 km2. It is located in the only area where the standard methods applied elsewhere in Australia to estimate probable maximum precipitation cannot be used. This is because of the uniqueness of the West Coast of Tasmania in terms of its weather patterns compared to the rest of the continent, and the sparseness of rain gauges in the region.
Spatial distribution of available rain gauge data.
Without a standard method to apply, Entura’s team looked closely at the rainfalls at a number of key sites within or near the catchment where historical rainfall data was available. Together with Rory Nathan from the University of Melbourne, they applied a sophisticated statistical analysis leading to a projection of the potential rainfall and its distribution, frequency, and level of uncertainty.
“This was less straightforward than it might sound and we had to be pragmatic,” said Ben.
“We were working with data from 443 sites and gauges, some of which had been read daily and some of which provided continuous data. Some of these records extended back as far as 1880, others were from ghost towns created by the boom-and-bust cycle of mining in the area. Many sites had significant data gaps where records were missing. To maximise the amount of useable information, we processed and checked an enormous amount of data, including disaggregating multi-day rainfall totals to make them comparable to single-day totals, and assessing whether some of the incomplete datasets were still useful to include. This process required weeks of intensive work.”
“The detailed examination of historical rainfall performed for the West Coast region has increased our confidence in the outcomes of the Bastyan study, and the assessed long-term safety of the dam,” he said.
The paper presented at the Sydney symposium is the first part of a longer project. The second stage of the work involves the use of these estimates and other inputs to obtain probable maximum precipitation estimates by statistical analysis. This part of the work is nearing completion.
“We’ve just got to the point of getting results for the study,” said Ben. “This has been very exciting; following months of work to derive inputs for the analysis, we’re finally getting a feel of what the outcomes might be for the dam.”
The paper presented at the conference is Regional Rainfall Frequency Analysis for Tasmania’s West Coast, by Ben James, Prafulla Pokhrel and Rory Nathan.
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