Nick Killey, Nigel Tomlin and Simon Grieg removed the turbine from a pump shed at the Warburton Golf Club.
By Mara Pattison-Sowden
AN HISTORIC turbine has been resurrected in the hope it will once more bring power to the people of Warburton.
The turbine, which powered the town until 1935, was uncovered from an old pump shed hidden on the Warburton golf course.
Tasmanian hydro engineer Nigel Tomlin returned to Warburton last week to help a team resurrect the English-made Gilkes turbine for the proposed micro-hydro energy project.
“We were surprised by the condition after it was sitting there for 75 years,” he said.
“It will help with a 100 horse-power generated plant, which could save 500 tonnes of carbon.”
Mr Tomlin said the “sheer size and bulk” of the turbine was awkward to work on, and four volunteers spent three days last week in dark, damp conditions removing it from the shed.
“We were worried we couldn’t spin it earlier but since then we’ve found it’s in excellent condition,” he said.
Mr Tomlin also had the help of Warburton Hydro member Nick Killey, and volunteers Alan Bridges from Warburton Golf Club and Simon Grieg, to remove the turbine.
At one stage they ran out of oxy equipment and were grateful when local supplier Gordon Buller pitched in last minute to help.
Ron Hottes from the Warburton Golf Club, which is supporting the project, said reconditioning the old turbine could save at least $20,000 in the long run.
“We want the development to help the club, the grid and the people that live nearby,” he said.
The findings have been further achievement for the group, after project leader Luke Whiteside featured the project at last week’s national power conference in Bendigo. The Warburton Hydro group wants to tap into the Ythan Creek to produce clean green energy and sell it back into the grid to fund community developments.
The working committee from the Upper Yarra Community Enterprise has spent the past 18 months quietly researching the project, while UYCE provided $50,000 to fund an environmental investigation.
Mr Killey said before any work started on the proposed project, they had to make sure the ecology of the creek would stay healthy.
“It not only exceeds the required minimum flows for energy generation but also features existing infrastructure, such as a reservoir and a weir which could expedite and value-add to the project,” he said.
Environmental experts will study the impact of taking water from the creek and running it through the hydro-generator before returning the water to the creek.
A range of technical research including environmental impacts and consultations with stakeholders would occur before the group applied for approvals.
