News

HUNTER POWER PROJECT – PLANNING MODIFICATION AMENDMENT

03/10/2024

Hunter Power Project (HPP) is set to begin operations in December 2024 with one generator running on diesel during the testing and commissioning phase.

The second unit and gas introduction will follow shortly, with full operations expected within a few months.

While the project’s planning modification has proposed increasing diesel operating hours to 1,100 per unit for 2025, Snowy Hydro does not currently expect HPP to operate entirely on diesel in 2025. The purpose of the modification is to provide for the current anticipated completion of the gas pipeline to March 2025 plus appropriate program contingency to ensure the power station can still generate energy in the event of any further delays to the gas pipeline or to the project’s commissioning program.

HPP’s gas pipeline is being delivered by APA Group and is independent of Snowy Hydro’s delivery of the power station.

Snowy Hydro has updated some of the information submitted to the NSW Department of Planning, Housing and Infrastructure. Previously some of the information was inaccurate and did not accurately reflect our intentions around contingency planning being one of the drivers of the modification.

Once fully operational, HPP will primarily run on gas, using diesel as backup. Gas remains crucial for meeting peak demand and supporting Australia’s renewable energy transition.

News

HUNTER POWER PROJECT DELIVERS LOCAL JOBS AND SKILLS

12/08/2024

Snowy Hydro’s Hunter Power Project (HPP) is leaving a lasting impact on the local workforce, delivering approximately 600 direct construction jobs and crucial skills development for a number of high-demand construction trades.

More than 60% of HPP workers live locally, which is part of Snowy Hydro’s commitment to supporting communities that the company is a part of.

The number of apprentices at HPP is on the increase, with Snowy Hydro working alongside principal contractor UGL to provide an additional 12 apprenticeship positions in June 2024, which includes three females and two First Nations apprentices. New apprentices on site include a boilermaker, nine electricians, and two mechanical fitters.

Snowy Hydro CEO Dennis Barnes said HPP will be good for jobs long after construction is complete.

“We are proud of our contribution to the construction, engineering, and infrastructure sector here in the Hunter, especially given the current tradespeople shortages in Australia.

“This project will have a lasting impact on the size and proficiency of the local workforce”

Mr Barnes said.

”A job on HPP will help set our team up for a rewarding career and a bright future.”

Electrical apprentice Daniel Battle said he became interested in the electrical trade after working as a Trades Assistant on the project.

“This apprenticeship is giving me the necessary skills, knowledge, and experience while working to a high standard within the industry to become an electrician,” Mr Battle said.

Apprentice boilermaker Jackson Scott said he was passionate about fabrication and welding. “I was very lucky to be offered an apprenticeship shortly after starting at HPP.

“HPP is preparing me to have a successful career contributing to important infrastructure in our country, and I’m extremely grateful,” Mr Scott said.

Electrical apprentice Camilla Lindeberg said she worked as a cleaner for seven months before applying for an apprenticeship.

“I never thought of being an electrical apprentice until the opportunity presented itself, and I’m excited for what the future holds.

“The challenge of learning something new and directly contributing to building HPP gives me a great sense of achievement and sets me up for a whole new career with endless opportunities,” Ms Lindeberg said.

Snowy Hydro is also looking to the future workforce through its community support programme.

In 2024, Snowy Hydro extended its Local School STEM Fund to the Cessnock LGA where HPP is located. More than $26,000 was awarded to schools in the area to foster learning opportunities and career pathways for local young people with a focus on STEM.

From left to right: Daniel Battle, Camilla Lindeberg, and Jackson Scott.

News

SNOWY HYDRO SIGNS LOCHARD GAS STORAGE AGREEMENT

15/07/2024

Snowy Hydro has entered into a 25-year gas storage agreement with Lochard Energy at the Iona underground gas storage facility to support Snowy Hydro’s gas fired generation fleet.

Australia’s energy market continues to experience significant change with the uptake of renewables and the progressive closure of coal fired assets. Snowy Hydro helps manage intermittency in the National Electricity Market (NEM) through its portfolio of power stations including the Snowy Scheme.

The long-term Lochard storage deal will allow Snowy Hydro to utilise stored gas when required to operate its gas fired power stations.

Snowy Hydro CEO Dennis Barnes said reliability and security of supply is central to the way Snowy Hydro operates, maintains and develops its nationally critical infrastructure.

“Snowy Hydro’s generating portfolio of hydro, pumping and gas fired power stations continues to support further deployment of renewables into the grid by “firming” intermittent generation sources into reliable power. The gas storage agreement with Lochard Energy will support the operation of our gas-fired power stations in Victoria.”

Lochard CEO Tim Jessen said Lochard welcomes the opportunity to strengthen its relationship with Snowy Hydro through the signing of the new Gas Storage Services Agreement.

“This important agreement will underpin Lochard’s Heytesbury Underground Gas Storage project through which we will further expand the Iona Gas Storage Facility to continue to provide critical energy storage services in Victoria.”

Gas storage is essential to ensure the supply of gas to meet peak electricity demand in seasonal markets, to supply gas to peak power generators including Snowy Hydro, and to ensure security of supply in the event of supply disruption.

Snowy Hydro owns and operates three gas-fired power stations, strategically located in the LaTrobe Valley and Laverton in Victoria, and at Colongra, NSW. With a current total generating capacity of 1,290 MW. Snowy Hydro is also constructing a 660MW gas fired power station at Kurri Kurri in the Hunter Valley.

The Lochard Energy gas storage agreement will commence in January 2028.

News

MAJOR MILESTONE REACHED FOR HUNTER POWER PROJECT

19/06/2023

The second of two generator stators that will power Snowy Hydro’s Hunter Power Project has arrived onsite at Kurri Kurri after its journey from the Port of Newcastle late last night.

The 150-metre-long convoy containing the 314-tonne generator stator left the Port of Newcastle at 9pm on Saturday evening and arrived at the Kurri Kurri site at 2am on Sunday, where it was unloaded and positioned for installation.

The convoy included six prime movers, four police escort vehicles and four pilot vehicles.

The first generator was transported two weeks ago and travelled the same route to Kurri Kurri from the Mayfield berth, via Industrial Drive, Maitland Road, Newcastle Inner City Bypass and the Hunter Expressway.

The two generator stators were prepared for transportation at the port over a period of two days after arriving from Japan late last year and earlier this year. When installed, the generators will spin from the power of the two open cycle gas turbines (OCGTs), which in turn will generate the 660 megawatts of electricity the Hunter Power Project is delivering for the National Electricity Market.

Snowy Hydro CEO Dennis Barnes said this project milestone was the result of months of meticulous planning from the Hunter Power Project team.

“Moving these two large components of the power station to our construction site required many months of work and liaison with the Port of Newcastle, the team at Mitsubishi in Japan, and local engineered transportation company Rex Andrews.

“Investment in dispatchable generators like the Hunter Power Project is vitally important as Australia transitions to renewable energy, which will ultimately benefit the environment and future generations,” Mr Barnes said.

The Hunter Power Project is expected to be operational by 2024.

News

SNOWY HYDRO AND APA SIGN TRANSPORT, STORAGE AND DEVELOPMENT AGREEMENTS FOR THE HUNTER POWER PROJECT

20/06/2022

Snowy Hydro today welcomed the announcement by APA Group that it had signed gas transport, storage and development agreements for the Hunter Power Project.

APA will construct, own and operate the Hunter Power Project’s gas pipeline connection to the Sydney -Newcastle pipeline, known as the Kurri Kurri Lateral, along with a 70 terajoule gas storage facility.

Snowy Hydro CEO Paul Broad said the Hunter Power Project would play a critical role in supplementing Snowy’s generation portfolio with dispatchable capacity when the needs of electricity consumers are highest.

“Along with Snowy 2.0, which is Australia’s largest committed renewable energy project, the Hunter Power Project will underpin thousands of megawatts of new wind and solar plants.

“The Hunter Power Project will be good for prices, by filling the gap in electricity demand and offsetting potential cost increases resulting from the closure of the Liddell Power Station.

“Today’s announcement is another significant milestone for the project and Snowy is looking forward to continuing to work closely with APA.

“The Hunter Power Project is on track and progressing well, with key milestones including naming CIMIC Group’s UGL as the Principal Contractor, as well as the signing of a major contract with Mitsubishi Power to deliver the hydrogen-ready open-cycle gas turbines.

“Snowy continues to take opportunities to turbo-charge local investment by the project. That’s why we’ve engaged a Hunter-based recruitment agency, engaged a local civil works contractor, established a Snowy Hydro site office at Kurri Kurri and mobilised a local workforce.”

News

Asset Inspection & Maintenance

20/07/2015

Snowy Hydro is again trialling the use of unmanned submersible vehicles to monitor the condition of hard to access Scheme assets.

While the Snowy Scheme is one of the civil engineering wonders of the modern world, many of its assets are difficult to reach due to the Snowy Mountains terrain and the challenges associated with the sheer volume of water flowing through the Scheme.

With the help of Perth-based company Synaya, the Civil Engineering and Dam Safety team are using a Mini Remotely Operated Vehicle (ROV) to conduct inspections of some of our hard to access assets, such as the Guthega Surge Tank and Island Bend intake structure.

The ROV is a small, submersible vehicle operated from the surface of the water via a tether. Equipped with miniature high-resolution cameras, lights and video recording equipment, they can be used to assess the condition of underwater civil assets. The information they collect determines future inspection frequencies, maintenance requirements and accurate scoping of projects.

The Mini-ROV, a Seabotix LVB150 weighing approximately 12 kilograms, was used as part of a successful trial where a variety of tests were performed to assess its manoeuvrability, visibility and access. Results showed that these observation vehicles reduce the safety risk to staff by eliminating the need for someone to physically enter tunnels for inspections, reduce the environmental impact associated with dewatering assets and they also reduce the need for extensive outage times.

It also provides access to extensive visual data, which can be referenced in the future to more accurately assess what stage of the asset’s lifecycle it’s in.

Using technology of this kind is not new for Snowy Hydro; in 2013, we used a larger unmanned underwater vehicle to inspect multiple tunnels within the Scheme for maintenance. We were awarded an Australian Business Award for Innovation and also broke a world record for the longest, unmanned underwater tunnel inspection. We have also trialled the use of unmanned aerial vehicles, or drones, to inspect our assets from the air.

In future, this unmanned technology will continue to be used to inspect difficult to access assets of the Scheme ensuring the safety of our people and keeping our assets in peak condition.