Hydro Tasmania has marked the Gordon Dam’s 50th anniversary, celebrating a major milestone in Tasmania’s renewable energy history.
On 25 November 1974, the final bucket of concrete was poured at Gordon Dam in the state’s southwest, creating the biggest arch dam in Australia.
Chief engineer Dr Sergio Giudici designed the dam. His grandson, Oliver Giudici, works at Hydro Tasmania today and is the fourth generation of his family to work at the business.
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Gordon Dam is the tallest arch dam in Australia at 140m tall. The dam contains 154,000 cubic metres of concrete. That’s enough to create about 5,700 replicas of the Statue of Liberty.
Hundreds of workers contributed to building Gordon Dam, including many highly skilled migrants.
Hydro Tasmania acting CEO Erin van Maanen said Gordon Dam was a feat of engineering and innovation that established Tasmania as a global leader in hydropower.
“Today we honour the people who brought this visionary project to life. Their legacy is the renewable energy that powers the lives of Tasmanians and underpins our economy,” van Maanen said.
Together, Lake Gordon and Lake Pedder make up Hydro Tasmania’s largest water storage and the largest in Australia. The Gordon Power Station generates around 13% of Tasmania’s electricity needs every year.
“These are multi-seasonal storages, we can build them up and access water over years. They play a very important role in Tasmania’s hydropower system and are critical to meeting the growing demand for energy in Tasmania and providing energy security during dry periods,” van Maanen said.
Phil Reed was the crane dogman who carefully directed the crane operator to pour both the first and last bucket of concrete.
“It was fantastic watching that last bucket be poured at Gordon,” he said.
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“Everyone had worked so hard for so long—we’d been pouring concrete for almost three years.”
Van Maanen acknowledged the significance of the history of the Gordon-Pedder Scheme, particularly in relation to the flooding of Lake Pedder, which divided public opinion.
“The lessons resonate today in how Hydro Tasmania prioritises and cares for the environment, and how we engage with the community,” she said.
