A fire has torn through one of Tasmania’s major power stations, with the Tungatinah Power Station at Tarraleah damaged by a blaze overnight.
Emergency services were called to the remote site, about two and a half hours from Hobart, around 9pm on Wednesday after a structure fire was reported.
More on this story: Fire-hit Tungatinah Power Station left in early stages of collapse
As a result, the Lyell Highway will be closed between Fourteen Mile Road and Victoria Valley Road for about 24 hours. Police say residents will still be allowed to access Bradys Lake.
Crews from volunteer fire stations across the Derwent Valley and Central Highlands responded, along with career crews from Hobart and Bridgewater.
Units from New Norfolk, Bushy Park, Gretna, Hamilton, Ouse, Great Lake and Bradys Lake were among those on scene, with aerial platform vehicles sent from Hobart and Launceston.
The blaze was brought under control by about 1am Thursday.
Hydro Tasmania says no employees or contractors were at the station when the fire broke out and no-one was injured.
The company says the extent of the damage is yet to be assessed. The cause of the fire is not yet known.
“Our immediate focus is supporting the Tasmanian Fire Service and Tasmania Police,” a Hydro Tasmania spokesperson said.
“We are providing detailed site information and assistance to emergency crews.”
Energy Minister Nick Duigan said further investigations will occur throughout the day.
“Importantly, our power system continues to operate securely and there is no risk to Tasmania’s energy supply,” he said.
Just after 10pm on Wednesday, the Australian Energy Market Operator said the Tungatinah 110-kilovolt substation had tripped at 9pm because of the fire. It said it did not instruct load shedding.
Tungatinah is the newer of two hydro stations at Tarraleah and one of 10 major stations in the state’s hydro-electric scheme. It has a generating capacity of 142.2 megawatts.
The station was commissioned in 1956 and recently opened its doors for rare public tours in March.
TasNetworks has since reported outages across surrounding towns, including Tarraleah, Bradys Lake and Bronte Park, leaving hundreds of customers without power.
The fire service, Tasmania Police, Hydro Tasmania and TasNetworks are expected to provide an update this morning.
