News

SNOWY HYDRO SUPPORT FOR LOCAL COMMUNITY AND SCHOOLS

27/02/2023

Grants of up to $10,000 are now available for Snowy Mountains schools and community groups as part of Snowy Hydro’s ongoing commitment to the local region.

In addition to the biannual Community Grants Program, Snowy Hydro has launched an exciting initiative in 2023 – the Local School STEM Fund – to inspire and increase access to STEM-based learning opportunities for the next generation of local innovators.

Snowy Hydro CEO Dennis Barnes said Snowy was dedicated to fostering education opportunities and career pathways for local young people with a focus on STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics).

“The Local School STEM Fund is a great way to support students in our area by giving them access to more learning and experience-based opportunities. Hopefully this will inspire kids to study further and seek a career in STEM fields, which is good news for Snowy Hydro as a major local employer,” Mr Barnes said.

“The launch of this fund is the latest addition to our ongoing commitment to STEM in the community – we have been been engaging with local schools, parents and children for more than six years with initiatives such as the Science of the Snowy competition, Next Generation Education Hub and, Tunnel Boring Naming Competition, to name a few.”

Applications for the new Local School STEM Fund are open until Friday 3 March. Local schools can apply for funding of up to $10,000 to support science, technology engineering and maths (STEM)-related excursions, student sponsorships, equipment and camps.

Round one of Snowy Hydro’s 2023 Community Grants Program is also open now and accepting applications for funding of up to $10,000 from eligible local organisations and community groups for projects, activities and events.

The application period closes on Wednesday 15 March and all grant applications are assessed against a standard set of criteria. There is a second round of grants available under the program starting in September this year.

Applications for both the Local School STEM Fund (by 3 March) and Community Grants Program (by 15 March) must be completed online via the Snowy Hydro website.

For more information about Snowy Hydro’s Local School STEM Fund and to apply, visit: https://www.snowyhydro.com.au/localstemfund/
For more information about Snowy Hydro’s Community Grants Program and to apply, visit: https://www.snowyhydro.com.au/communitygrantsprogram/

News

SNOWY HYDRO DRIVING INCREASED NSW POLICE HIGHWAY PATROLS

28/04/2022

A new road safety commitment between Snowy Hydro and NSW Police is increasing highway patrols in the Snowy Mountains over the coming three years.

Two highway patrol vehicles and five more police officers are now available for patrols on the Snowy Mountains Highway and other local roads – including one new four-wheel drive highway patrol vehicle and two new police officers that have been co-funded by Snowy Hydro and NSW Police.

The other resources have been redeployed to the area from across the Southern Region Traffic and Highway Patrol Command.

Snowy Hydro CEO Paul Broad said the company’s support for NSW Police’s local road safety operations would benefit all road users.

“Safety is, and always will be, the highest priority for Snowy Hydro,” Mr Broad said. “We are proud to be supporting this joint initiative with NSW Police to increase highway patrols throughout the Snowy Mountains. These are the communities in which we live, work and serve.”

Mr Broad said the commitment complemented Snowy Hydro’s recent collaboration with the NSW government to boost mobile phone coverage along the Snowy Mountains Highway.

The $1.3 million joint funding has delivered new small cell antennas at three priority sites between Talbingo and Adaminaby, with installations at two more sites – Tantangara Road and Lobs Hole Ravine Road – soon to go live.

“This is a great outcome for community safety, with these important initiatives focusing on roads used by hundreds of thousands of people, including locals, tourists, workers and the transport industry,” he said.

The additional police presence aims to act as a deterrent to poor driver behaviour on the Snowy Mountains Highway and other roads including Link and Goat Ridge roads. It also provides extra capacity for police undertaking highway patrol functions including alcohol and drug testing, checking heavy vehicle compliance and timely emergency response.

For more information about Snowy 2.0 visit snowyhydro.com.au

ENDS

News

University of Sydney to be powered by 100% renewable electricity new partnership with Snowy Hydro and Red Energy

06/04/2022

From 1 July 2022 the University of Sydney will be powered by 100 percent renewable electricity.

The University has signed a five-year contract with Red Energy, backed by the mighty Snowy Hydro, to source 100 percent of its electricity in NSW from renewable sources. Once the contract begins, the University’s activities will be powered by solar energy.

As well as operations across campuses and University-run student accommodation, the contract will cover energy supply for Moore College, Sancta Sophia College, St Andrew’s College, St Paul’s College, the Women’s College and Wesley College. The positive impact will be in excess of removing 31,200 cars from the road.

The move brings the University a step closer to its target of net zero emissions by 2030.

Vice-Chancellor and President, Professor Mark Scott said the shift to renewable electricity reflected the University’s deep commitment to a more sustainable future.

“We are making the move to 100 percent renewable electricity three years before our target of 2025,” he said.

“This agreement will power our research and teaching while reducing emissions. We are delighted to be working together with Snowy Hydro and Red Energy to achieve the ambitious energy targets set out in our sustainability strategy.

“We know reducing emissions to combat climate change is a priority for our staff and students and we are committed to embedding sustainability in every aspect of University life.”

Paul Broad, Managing Director and CEO of Snowy Hydro, which owns Red Energy, welcomed the partnership and the role it will play as Australia’s economy decarbonises and transitions to renewables.

“At Snowy Hydro, we have lived, breathed and delivered renewable energy to Australians through the mighty Snowy Scheme for generations. We are committed to continuing this legacy and leading the charge to a renewable energy future by working with large institutions like the University of Sydney.

“Combining our contracted wind and solar energy with our on-demand hydro assets allows us to provide reliable and 100 percent renewable electricity to the University.”

The switch to renewable electricity is one of a range of initiatives under the University’s sustainability strategy. The institution has committed to sending zero waste to landfill by 2030 and to the eradication of single-use plastic on campus by 2025.

The University is working to integrate sustainable practices across operations, teaching and research, with steps including the Gelion solar smart bench roll-out last year and the recent installation of a biodigester to process organic waste into compost.

How University’s renewable energy supply will work

Power consumed by the University of Sydney will be matched by generation from a NSW solar farm or, in certain instances, other renewable facilities in the state. The associated Large Scale Generation Certificates will be surrendered by Red Energy to evidence that renewable generation has been exported into the National Electricity Market at quantities equivalent to the University’s load.

News

FREE TRAINING TO HELP LOCALS LAND SNOWY 2.0 JOBS

12/11/2021

A graduation ceremony has been held today in Wagga Wagga for Aboriginal people who have completed a fee-free skills training program as part of the multi-billion dollar Snowy 2.0 project.

Nine participants in the program celebrated their graduation at an event attended by the Federal Member for Riverina, Michael McCormack MP and Wagga Mayor, Greg Conkey. Another program participant is already employed at the Snowy 2.0 concrete segment factory in Cooma.

The seven-week pre-employment training was an initiative of Snowy Hydro’s Snowy 2.0 principal contractor, Future Generation Joint Venture, and funded by Training Services NSW.

Snowy 2.0 is the largest renewable energy project in Australia and will utilise pumped hydro to significantly expand the Snowy Scheme. It will deliver on-demand power to 500,000 homes at the same time, and large-scale storage to underpin thousands of megawatts of intermittent renewables. Two existing dams are being connected as part of the project through 27-kilometres of tunnels and a new underground power station.

The Minister for Skills and Tertiary Education Geoff Lee said this was a great example of upskilling people in the regions to benefit from major infrastructure projects.

“This $5.1 billion Snowy Hydro project is expected to create 4,000 jobs over the life of the project, and it’s important that local people get the opportunity to work on it,” Mr Lee said.

The program saw participants learn to carry out and measure calculations, use construction tools and equipment and meet WHS requirements.

Future Generation, in partnership with TAFE NSW, developed the program after consultation with the Aboriginal community, and included yarning circles and Indigenous artworks.

Snowy Hydro Relations Manager Dean Lynch said the training and upskilling opportunities associated with Snowy 2.0 would create an important legacy.

“At Snowy Hydro we have a long-established culture of providing learning opportunities for employees and we are delighted that through Snowy 2.0 we can generate education and ongoing benefits for local and regional communities. This training is helping people acquire skills that make them job-ready and will be great not only for Snowy 2.0, but other construction projects in the future.”

The program is thanks to collaboration between Training Services and TAFE NSW, NIAA, NSW

Aboriginal Affairs, Corporate Connexions, Department of Education Skills & Employment, Job Active providers and all the present and emerging elders who have been directly involved.

News

LAUNCH OF SNOWY HYDRO’S ONLINE EDUCATION HUB

01/03/2021

Snowy Hydro is excited to officially launch its Australian curriculum-aligned online
education platform, the Next Generation Education Hub. This digital learning platform
aims to spark an interest in STEM-related (science, technology, engineering and maths)
subjects for young people.

Snowy Hydro has a proud history of supporting the next generation of innovators by
providing in-person programs to both local and visiting schools at the Discovery Centre
in Cooma. The Next Generation Education Hub allows us to take these learning
experiences online to be more accessible to students across the Snowy Mountains.
The Next Generation Education Hub has been developed to offer study material across
the STEM subjects, as well as history and geography. Learning modules cover elements
of engineering and power generation, the history of the Snowy Scheme, Snowy 2.0 – all
based on the past, present and future of the Snowy Scheme.

Snowy Hydro CEO Paul Broad said: “Snowy Hydro has a proud Australian history of
innovation and engineering excellence. We are delighted to provide an online education
platform to inspire the next generation of young Australian minds.

“The Next Generation Education Hub will bring the Snowy Scheme back into the
classroom,” he said.

The education hub provides easy-to-access teaching materials including downloadable
fact sheets, activity sheets and learning resources with lesson plans and additional
extension activities. It also features the Snowy 2.0 digital pop-book which brings the
Snowy 2.0 project to life for young minds.

The platform provides engaging, critical thinking opportunities with fun, practical
activities including making snow, building a turbine and creating precipitation.
The education programs at the Snowy Hydro Discovery Centre have been redesigned
for the 2021 school year. With three different packages available and optional extras
including ‘meet a real-life engineer’ and dam-building demonstrations, there is
something to suit all learning needs .

For more information on the tailored programs available to local schools contact
education@snowyhydro.com.au

News

Sharing Snowy Stories

19/03/2018

As Snowy Hydro embarks on an expansion of the Snowy Scheme a unique digital storybook project is underway to capture the voices and experiences of ten former workers.

Snowy Hydro and Woden Community Service have partnered on the project which sees former workers who are all in their 80s and 90s share their stories of determination, success and resilience with current and future generations.

Paul Broad, Snowy Hydro’s Chief Executive Officer, said that former Snowy Scheme workers overcame significant engineering and construction challenges to build one of the greatest and most complex hydro power systems in the world.

“It took ingenuity, dedication and hard work to build the Snowy Scheme. Our former workers are a critical part of our company’s history and strength, and capturing their stories is very important.

“We often reflect on and marvel at the achievements of the original Snowy pioneers. Today, as we’re designing and planning the Snowy 2.0 project we’re grateful to have the expert records and technical data from the workers who came before us”, Mr Broad said.

Woden Community Service in collaboration with PhotoAccess and Gen S Stories have the privilege of working with the former workers and bringing their stories to life.

Chris Redmond, CEO of Woden Community Service, said the idea for this project grew from a senior’s social group for ex-Snowy workers, set up by Woden Community Service in August 2016.

“The group is led by Sandy Van Der Toorn, our Seniors Social Group Coordinator. Sandy’s father worked on the Snowy Scheme and she has many fond memories of growing up there.

“We’re also very lucky to have the expertise of Jenni Savigny from Gen S Stories on this project. She enables people of all ages to use the medium of digital storytelling to share their story and assists them to tell it in their own voice (literally). We look forward to working with Snowy Hydro to make this project a success”, Mr Redmond said.

Snowy Hydro has provided $25,000 to fund the project which is due to be complete in the middle of this year. A formal premiere of the stories will be held in June 2018.

News

National Science Week Winners

31/10/2017

After much deliberation from the judging panel, ten winners of the ‘Science of the Snowy’ competition were announced today.

The winners came from schools across the Snowy Mountains. The calibre and creativity of entries greatly impressed the judging panel which included the Hon Mike Kelly Member for Eden Monaro, Carolyn Ewart, from Country Universities Centre, and Tumut radio personality David Eisenhauer.

Chief Executive Officer, Paul Broad, said it was fantastic to see local children so engaged in science and technology. With more than 40 entries from Batlow to Bombala, the judges had a very tough job selecting the winners.

“Snowy Hydro is a modern and growing business. While some parts of the Scheme are more than 60 years old, we’re constantly upgrading our assets and integrating the latest technology into our operations.

“The level of research and effort that went into the entries shows we have many budding scientists and engineers in our local community.

“It’s great to see curious,young minds and I hope to see some of their names pop up on applications for jobs at Snowy Hydro in the years to come”, Mr Broad said.

Recognition and thanks must go to our judging panel and all the teachers that encouraged their students to enter the competition.

Competition winners: Jamie Jessup, Jackson Trellis, Ashley Lloyd, Dakota Simpson,
Hayley Bell, Sophie Wood, Courtney Bennett, Bridie Hampshire and Tye Gulliford.

Along with the 9 students, the judges also selected the entry from the Batlow Technology School to round out the winners.

Highly commended entries Brandy Cotty, Luke Jones, Taya Douch, Lily Edgecombe, Jemima Merritt, Finn Sullivan and Rachael Babidge.

The ‘Science of the Snowy Competition’ was launched as part of Snowy Hydro’s National Science Week Celebrations. To enter students in years 3-6 in the Snowy Mountains area shared their favorite favourite science, engineering, or technology fact about the Snowy Scheme.

The winners will receive a behind the scenes tour of the Snowy Scheme. Both winning and highly commended entries will be displayed in the Snowy Hydro Discovery Centre in Cooma.

News

National Science Week Competition

14/08/2017

‘The Science of Snowy’

As part of National Science Week this year, Snowy Hydro is running a ‘Science of the Snowy’ competition for Snowy Mountains students in years 3-6.

Paul Broad, Chief Executive Officer, said that National Science Week was a great opportunity for students to learn more about the science and engineering aspects of the Snowy Scheme.

“The construction of the Snowy Scheme was one of the civil engineering wonders of the modern world and from our pioneering past, we have grown into a modern and innovative energy company,” Mr Broad said.

To enter the competition just tell us your favourite science, technology or engineering fact about the Snowy Scheme. Your entry can be in words, pictures, a drawing or even a video.

Mr Broad said his favourite fact is that the Snowy Scheme acts like Australia’s biggest battery.

“While the Snowy Scheme may not look like a typical battery, it acts just like one. In the same way as a battery stores energy, the Snowy Scheme stores water which can be quickly used to create energy when it’s needed”, Mr Broad said.

Each winner will get two tickets to a VIP tour of the Snowy Scheme (including a power station) with some of Snowy Hydro’s very own scientists and engineers.

All winning and highly commended entries will also be displayed in the Snowy Hydro Discovery Centre in Cooma.

The competition is open to students at schools within the Snowy Valleys Council and Snowy Monaro Regional Council regions and in years 3-6.

The ‘Science of the Snowy’ competition opens on 14 August 2017 and closes at 5pm on 22 September 2017. An independent panel of judges will select the winners, with the panel to be announced shortly.

For more information on how to enter and some Snowy Hydro topic ideas visit our NSWk competition page here

News

A Powerful Partnership – L’Etape Australia & Snowy Hydro

10/08/2017

For a second year Snowy Hydro is ready to ride, signing on as a major partner of the L’Étape Australia official Tour de France event.

The L’Étape Australia event will be held on Saturday 2rd of December, and will see thousands of amateur cyclists from across Australia face the challenging L’Etape course through the mountainous roads of the Snowy Mountains.

Mr Paul Broad, CEO of Snowy Hydro said he was proud that the company would be part of such a great event again this year.

“Events like L’Étape bring thousands of people to the region and generate significant economic activity for many local businesses.

“L’Etape is great for our local communities and it is also a great fit for Snowy Hydro because we recognise the importance of participation, health and wellbeing. The Company is committed to supporting our staff providing access to a variety of initiatives from yoga and fitness to mental health programs.

“When it comes to fitness L’Etape is the ultimate challenge so we are thrilled to have several Snowy Hydro teams competing in this year’s event and we are extremely pleased with our involvement with L’Etape as it brings so much to our local communities”, Mr Broad said.

L’Etape provides amateur riders with the unique opportunity to ride in full Tour de France conditions, with fully closed roads and a choice of two challenging options – the 157km ‘Race’ or the 126km ‘Ride’. Both routes will test riders strength and endurance particularly the Col de Beloka and the Col de Kosciuszko which will challenge even the fittest of competitors.

Tour de France reigning champion Chris Froome will be onsite to hold clinics, share his knowledge in riding and racing with the amateurs, and he will ride in L’Étape Australia from the back of the pack to the front. Adding to the Tour de France atmosphere, genuine Tour de France yellow, polka dot and green jerseys will be awarded to winners for both men and women.

The L’Etape route, starting at Bullocks Flat on the Alpine Way will pass through the towns of Jindabyne, Berridale and Dalgety. Locals will again get into the L’Etape spirit by creating cycling inspired artworks along the course and cheering riders as they pass. A local community course artwork competition, sponsored by Snowy Hydro, will be part of this year’s event, with great prizes to be awarded to the best creations.

The heart of the event will be the L’Etape Australia Village at Bullock’s Flat which will be hosted by Snowy Hydro as part of its sponsorship agreement. The Village will be the social, administrative and commercial heart of the event.

For more information about L’Etape: info@letapeaustralia.com.au or to register go to: https://letapeaustralia.com/
For Snowy Hydro enquiries: Neil Thew 0428 400 848 or email community@snowyhydro.com.au

News

Visitors in Cooma ahead of drilling for Snowy 2.0 commencing

28/06/2017

The Prime Minister, Malcolm Turnbull, Deputy Premier John Barilaro and Parliamentary Secretary Bronnie Taylor visited Cooma today ahead of investigative drilling commencing for Snowy 2.0.

Snowy Hydro Limited CEO Paul Broad and Snowy Mountains Engineering Corporation (SMEC) CEO Andy Goodwin provided a Snowy 2.0 update and showcased one of the drill rigs.

Mr Broad said the investigative drilling, which is expected to commence next month after all approvals, is a critical milestone for the Snowy 2.0 feasibility study.

“The drilling will provide us with detailed geotechnical information about the rock formations, strength and structure of the area where the tunnels between the Tantangara and Talbingo reservoirs and underground power station will be located.”

“The core holes will be drilled in key locations so that we have a very clear picture of the geology and can better plan and cost the project.” Mr Broad said.

The geotechnical information collected through this process will be shared with research and education institutions for science and research purposes.

The Prime Minister, Deputy Premier and Parliamentary Secretary’s visit was also an opportunity for Snowy Hydro and SMEC to bring together their local project teams to celebrate the reopening of the SMEC office in Cooma.

SMEC’s CEO Andy Goodwin said the reopening of their Cooma office and work on the Snowy 2.0 feasibility study will continue to generate economic activity in the region.

“It’s great to be working on such a iconic hydropower project with Snowy Hydro that reflects on our namesake and history. For SMEC this is an opportunity to bring back our local people with global experience to contribute to the legacy for the next generation.

“The Feasibility Study will generate more than 250 jobs across professional services, construction and administrative support and if Snowy 2.0 goes ahead we expect to create about 5000 jobs over the life of the build,” Mr Goodwin said.

The Snowy 2.0 Feasibility Study will be completed by the end of this year.

Snowy Hydro is proud to provide secure, stable and reliable renewable energy to households and businesses. If built, Snowy 2.0 would increase the generation capacity by up to 50 per cent, making up to 2000 megawatts available to the National Electricity Market.