Entura’s Principal Civil Consultant, Richard Herweynen, was recently awarded the Professional Engineer of the Year Award by the Tasmanian Division of Engineers Australia. The award is fitting recognition of Richards’s outstanding contribution to dams and hydropower engineering around Australia and the world.

Richard began his career with the Hydro Electric Commission in 1990 during the construction of the King River Power Development and Anthony Power Development. During this time he was privileged to have the late Dr Sergio Giudici as his mentor, enabling him to draw from Sergio’s extensive experience in dam engineering.

Over the next two decades, Richard has continued to build and share his knowledge through his continual involvement in ANCOLD and ICOLD, where he has written and presented over 30 technical papers, been involved in a number of technical committees updating guidelines and taken an active role in mentoring young engineers.

Richard has been the lead dam designer for a number of recent projects around Australia, including Samson Brook Pipehead Dam in WA, Paradise Dam in Queensland, Meander Dam in Tasmania and Wyaralong Dam in Queensland. These projects have all received numerous awards for engineering excellence.

Richard has worked in many countries, including Philippines, China, Samoa, Fiji, Brazil, Korea, India, PNG and Malaysia. These assignments have enabled him to further broaden his experience - both in terms of engineering solutions and in cultural experiences. His international experience has included iconic projects like the Sihwa Tidal Power Project in Korea, the largest tidal power project in the world.

As the Tasmanian Professional Engineer of the Year, Richard will now be entered into the Engineers Australia national awards.

For more information on the awards, please visit the the Engineers Australia website