Work on Australia’s largest renewable energy project, Snowy 2.0, continues with good progress across multiple work fronts, despite recent work stoppages.
Across Snowy 2.0, recent progress of note includes:
POWER STATION CAVERNS
- Development of the Snowy 2.0 power station complex is progressing well, with excavation and installation of rock support within the caverns more than 35% complete.
- The transformer hall is now almost 50% excavated by volume and the machine hall is now 28 metres deep.
- The drill and blast tunnels providing access to various levels within the caverns, and other parts of the power station complex are more than 93% complete.
- Excavation of the 266 metre-long collector waterway tunnels, which will pass water from the power station to the tailrace tunnel and onto Talbingo reservoir, is 80% complete.
UPPER RESERVOIR INTAKE
- A 40-metre high tower crane is assisting with construction logistics in the Tantangara intake pit, where the project’s first permanent concrete structures are being built. More than 6,600 cubic metres of concrete have been poured so far.
LOWER RESERVOIR INTAKE
- A total of 370 metres has been excavated from both ends of the connection tunnel which is 825 metres long and will create a connection between the Talbingo intake structure and the tailrace tunnel.
- A 70-metre tower crane has been installed to lift heavy equipment and materials in and out of the intake pit.
MARICA SURGE SHAFT
- Excavation of the 240 metre deep and 28 metre wide Marica surge shaft has passed 151 metres.
- The shaft will provide water storage when Snowy 2.0’s power station starts up. When the station is shutting down, the Marica surge shaft will also provide pressure relief in the headrace tunnel. When completed, it will be one of the widest and deepest operational shafts in the world.
DOWNSTREAM SURGE SHAFT
- Excavation of the upper chamber for the downstream surge shaft is 68% complete. This shaft will be approximately 200m high and provide water storage when the power station starts up in pumping mode and pressure relief in the tailrace tunnel when the power station starts in generation mode.
TUNNEL BORING MACHINES (TBMs)
Florence
- TBM Florence is excavating the 17-kilometre headrace tunnel, which will connect the underground power station to the upper Tantangara reservoir.
- The machine is now more than 3.0-kilometres into the headrace tunnel.
Lady Eileen Hudson
- TBM Lady Eileen Hudson is excavating the 6-kilometre tailrace tunnel, which will connect the underground power station to the lower Talbingo reservoir.
- The machine has now completed 85% of the tailrace tunnel, having already completed the 2.85-kilometre main access tunnel. This tunnel is now being used by workers to access the power station caverns.
Kirsten
- TBM Kirsten is excavating the very steep, 1.6-kilometre Inclined Pressure Shaft (IPS) connecting the underground power station to the headrace tunnel.
- The machine has excavated 14% of the shaft to date.
- We expect the performance of our tunnel boring machines to continue to vary in line with ground conditions.
TBM4
- In December 2024, the NSW Department of Planning, Housing and Infrastructure approved Snowy Hydro’s application to deploy a fourth tunnel boring machine. The machine will help protect the delivery timeline by boosting the project’s ability to tunnel through a complex geological fault zone.
- Work to prepare for the launch of the machine is underway. It is set to begin excavation by the end of 2025.
RESTART AFTER WORK STOPPAGES
- Underground work on Snowy 2.0 has been progressively restarting over the last two weeks. Operations for all three tunnel boring machines are underway, as well as power station drill and blast cavern excavation.
- Above ground work was not impacted and continued throughout the period underground work was stopped.