Nymboida power station future not electric

A century on from the opening of the Nymboida Hydro Electric Power Station which brought electric lighting to Grafton, there has been a less electric celebration of the event.

Late last month about 120 residents and visitors explored the historic Nymboida HydroElectric Power Station during guided tours held as part of its 100thanniversary celebrations on Sunday November 24.

Opened on November 25, 1924, by Dr Earl Page, the station marked a signifcant milestone when it brought electric lighting to Grafton for the frst time.

Clarence Valley Mayor Ray Smith offcially commenced the celebrations, warmly welcoming attendees, honoured guests, and families of former employees.

“The Nymboida Power Station is a remarkable building, brimming with character and history,” he said.

“The station, initially established by the Clarence River County Council (CRCC), has been managed by various public authorities over the years including the CRCC, Northern Rivers County Council (NRCC), Northern Rivers Electricity, Country Energy, and Essential Energy.

“In 2021, Clarence Valley Council acquired the infrastructure and the water license from Essential Energy to secure the drinking water supply for the Clarence Valley and Coffs Harbour regions.”

The current water licence only permits water to be extracted for drinking water purposes, so unfortunately it is not possible to either reopen the power station for generating electricity or release high fows down Goolang Creek for white water rafting and canoeing.

During its operational years, the Nymboida Power Station utilised water from the Nymboida River, returning it downstream to Goolang Creek—a testament to its innovative design and enduring legacy.

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Lyle Gilmore played a key role in organising the event and joined council’s manager of technical services Greg Mashiah along with former employee Peter Nixon, to lead guided tours sharing their extensive knowledge and insights into the iconic building and its rich history.

Deputy mayor Cr Greg Clancy said now that since council took ownership of the building and water infrastructure from Essential Energy in 2021, some use needed to be made of the building.

He recalled there had been investigations into repairing the turbines at the station, which had been damaged during 2013 foods and generating electricity, but this was no longer feasible.

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In 2013 a bulkhead containing pipes that carried water from the Nymboida River to the power station failed.

The rush of water through the power station damaged the turbines in the power station and also wrecked the white water rafting course on Goolang Creek downstream of the power station.

“There was $300,000 allocated to the notion that we investigate re-establishing power generation, but it never happened,” Cr Clancy said.

“Now it could never happen because the Department of Water has brought in new restrictions that wouldn’t allow enough water for power generation.”

Cr Clancy said there

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• 24/7 phone support and guidance had also been some environmental concerns about the effect of fows from the power stations on the banks of Goolang Creek and Blaxlands Creek further downstream.

“It probably wouldn’t have done them much good, but they’ve been doing it for basically 90 years,” he said.

“It may be that stopping is has allowed the creeks to re-establish their natural banks and fows.”

He said the council was considering its options of creating a tourist attraction at the site.

“A lot of staff and councillors think we should be doing something with it, but whether we can afford to do something with it is another matter.”