The Drop Hydro Project

It took Pacific Hydro to recognise the powerful flows of water released for irrigation purposes from the Southern Hemisphere's largest irrigation channel, the Mulwala Canal, as an untapped source of hydro power. As Australia's first hydroelectric scheme built on an irrigation channel, the project is now generating clean, renewable energy without affecting the water flow to the 2,600 farms the canal supplies.

Once approval had been gained from the local authorities and community, the 2.5MW Drop Hydro project was constructed on the site and began generating power in 2000. The project abates around 8,000 tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions every year.

The project can also generate 10,000 Renewable Energy Certificates (RECs) each year, as recognised under the Federal Governments Mandatory Renewable Energy Target scheme. We've negotiated a 10 year agreement to sell all the RECs and energy generated by the plant to major NSW energy retailer.

Supported by grants from the Australian Greenhouse Office and the NSW Sustainable Energy Development Authority, the successful development of this project in a short time frame resulted from the cooperation of a number of organisations, including Murray Irrigation, which is responsible for the water supply.

Construction of the Drop Hydro plant also provided considerable benefits to the local economy including investment and job creation, with up to 30 people employed on the site.