News

SNOWY HYDRO JOINS WITH COMMUNITY TO CELEBRATE 50th BIRTHDAY FOR TUMUT 3 POWER STATION

05/11/2022

Large crowds have turned out for a community open day and 50th birthday celebrations for the largest of the mighty Snowy Scheme’s power stations, Tumut 3, at Talbingo.

With the iconic white penstocks as backdrop, local community members and visitors today joined Snowy Hydro in acknowledging the remarkable role the Tumut 3 Power Station has played providing critical energy supply and water services to eastern Australia since 1972.

Snowy Hydro acting CEO Roger Whitby said Tumut 3 was the first and biggest pumped-hydro facility in Australia.

“The Snowy Scheme’s fast start, reliable clean energy generation keeps the lights on – literally – for millions of people and our pumped-hydro capability here at T3 is integral to this,” Mr Whitby said. “We generate at peak periods or when there is a shortfall of other energy sources, and pump when demand and wholesale energy prices are low, reusing and recycling the water.

“Tumut 3 Power Station has been operating reliably and safely for 50 years, with decades more service to come.

“The longevity of this asset is testament to its quality design, engineering, construction and maintenance. I would like to thank and express my appreciation to those who have played a part in Tumut 3’s history, especially those former workers who have attended the event today.”

Mr Whitby, along with the Member for Wagga Wagga Dr Joe McGirr and Snowy Valleys Council Mayor Ian Chaffey, led the official proceedings at the community open day.

Visitors to the event enjoyed a range of activities including power station tours, bus tours of the reservoir and penstocks, live music, food vendors, and activities for the kids from Snowy Hydro’s Next Generation Education Hub and the National Parks and Wildlife Service.

Tumut 3 Power Station facts

T3 is the largest power station in the Snowy Scheme and the first pumped-hydro facility in Australia.
The station has a total generating capacity of 1,800MW. That is enough electricity to power more than half a million homes.
Three of the six units are capable of both generating and pumping, meaning that we can recycle water between Jounama Pondage and Talbingo Reservoir.
Each of the penstocks are 488m long and 5.6m in diameter.
They are full all of the time, holding over 12,000 tonnes of water.
If all three pumps are running, water from Jounama Pondage is pumped at a rate of 297 cubic metres per second.
Talbingo Dam was completed in 1970 – the dam height is 161 metres.
Talbingo Reservoir’s gross capacity is 921,400,000m3, which is almost twice the size of Sydney Harbour.

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

SNOWY HYDRO SIGNS NEW RENEWABLE ENERGY DEAL

20/06/2022

Snowy Hydro is again expanding its renewable energy portfolio, signing a contract to purchase power and renewables certificates from a new CWP Renewables wind farm development in New South Wales.

The deal with the Uungula wind farm near Wellington is the 12th for Snowy Hydro, a leader in clean energy and Australia’s renewable energy transition.

Managing Director and CEO Paul Broad said the agreement to purchase 200 megawatts of Uungula’s output for a 15-year term supported Snowy Hydro’s commitment to providing affordable, reliable and clean energy to its commercial and industrial customers.

“Renewables are the future and by combining our contracted wind and solar projects with our on-demand hydro assets we can provide ‘firm’, secure, low-emissions energy to the market, while keeping the lights on,” Mr Broad said.

“This new deal with CWP Renewables is targeted to start in 2026 after construction of Uungula is completed and will increase the total energy that Snowy purchases from renewables projects to 4.1 terawatt hours each year.”
CWP Renewables CEO Jason Willoughby welcomed the second partnership with Snowy Hydro and said the agreement confirmed the ongoing demand for renewables.

“At 414 megawatts, Uungula will be our largest wind farm to date and provide enough clean electricity to power more than 200,000 homes,” Mr Willoughby said. “It’s great to have Snowy Hydro on-board as a foundation offtaker for the project, which in turn helps us continue to develop our pipeline of renewable projects.”

CWP Renewables currently operates and owns 650MW of renewable energy assets in the National Electricity Market and has another 5GW of wind, storage and firming projects in its near-medium term development portfolio. Snowy Hydro already partners with CWP Renewables through an offtake agreement for power from its Bango wind farm, north of Yass.

“We are pleased to be working again with CWP Renewables and growing our clean energy business,” Mr Broad said. “This partnership is another example of Snowy Hydro securing greater investment in renewables across Australia, which is a win-win for everyone.”

Uungula Wind Farm has received development approval and construction is planned to start this year, supporting more than 260 jobs.

News

SNOWY HYDRO WATER RELEASES FROM TUMUT 3 POWER STATION

03/06/2022

Snowy Hydro is the largest supplier of on-demand energy generation in NSW, by capacity. The company also has an important role in capturing and storing water in the Snowy Scheme, which helps manage and regulate inflows for the benefit of downstream water users.

The National Electricity Market (NEM), especially NSW, is currently experiencing above-average outages from coal power stations and low levels of reserve energy capacity.

There is an energy crisis in the National Electricity Market (NEM) unfolding and Snowy Hydro is being called on more than ever to keep the lights on.
To provide this essential service to the NEM, Snowy Hydro must release water from the Snowy Scheme.
Snowy Hydro is the largest supplier of on-demand energy generation in NSW, by capacity and Tumut 3 Power Station, with a generation capacity of 1,800 megawatts, is a significant contributor.
Snowy Hydro has been working closely with WaterNSW to manage storages during these challenging conditions.
Generation from Tumut 3 Power Station is significantly constrained by the current storage levels in Blowering Reservoir and the release capacity of the Tumut River.
In order to meet the predicted energy demands, it is possible Blowering Reservoir will fill and spill, potentially exceeding the Tumut River channel capacity.
In this scenario, there is potential for the inundation of low-level causeways and water breaking out of the river channel onto agricultural land adjacent to the river.

For the community, the most important message is to stay safe and well-informed.

The public can stay updated about flood alerts here:

More information

News

NEW LEASE ON LIFE FOR MURRAY 1 TRANSFORMERS

04/04/2022

Snowy Hydro is carrying out a large project to refurbish the Murray 1 Power Station generator step-up transformers, a process that will significantly extend the life of these important Snowy Scheme assets.

Reconditioning and replacement of the bushings will help to increase the lifespan of the transformers by an extra 15 years. Under normal conditions, transformers are expected to operate for 30 to 40 years, but thanks to the thorough effort Snowy puts into maintaining its assets, the Murray 1 Power Station transformers will operate for many years to come – an amazing achievement.

There have been a number of obstacles to overcome during the course of this project, including road closures along the Alpine Way due to natural incidents, weather extremes in the Snowy Mountains, and above all, COVID-19 and the closing of the border between New South Wales and Victoria.

Murray 1 is located near Khancoban and Wilson Transformer Company (WTC), based in Melbourne, which was hired to do some of the important work, navigated a six-week government approval process to cross the border from Victoria to work on the refurbishment through the pandemic.

WTC manufactured a purpose-built dry out tank at its Glen Waverley factory specifically for this major Snowy Hydro project.

The tank is utilised after the team has de-tanked the core and coils – which are then both put inside the dry-out tank. The team completes welding works and modification of the old transformer tank and lid, before re-tanking the unit into the original body.

There are two more Murray 1 transformer refurbishments and bushing replacements remaining, with the last scheduled to be completed in November 2022.

So far, the project has been highly successful, with approximately 100 workers involved, and no safety concerns or injuries. Snowy Hydro appreciates all those contributing to this project for prioritising safety and health above everything else.

In addition, Snowy Hydro and WTC have worked with many local businesses in the construction, including electrical contractors PHE and Roddy Engineering, both based in Tumut, NSW.

News

SNOWY 2.0 RAMPS UP WITH COMMISSIONING OF SECOND TUNNEL BORING MACHINE

06/12/2021

Snowy Hydro has today achieved another exciting milestone, with the commissioning of the second tunnel boring machine (TBM) for Snowy 2.0, Australia’s largest renewable energy project.

The 11-metre diameter TBM Kirsten, one of the most innovative and technologically-advanced machines in the world, is one of three TBMs that will excavate more than 27km of tunnels for the massive pumped-hydro expansion of the iconic Snowy Scheme.

Snowy 2.0, which is on-budget and due to produce first power in 2025, is fundamental to Australia’s transition to a renewable energy future. Its 2,000 megawatts of pumping and generating capacity and 175 hours of storage – enough to power 500,000 homes simultaneously – will underpin thousands of megawatts of intermittent renewables.

Snowy Hydro CEO Paul Broad said Snowy 2.0 was creating 4,000 jobs and significant training and apprenticeship opportunities for workers, while providing a major economic boost for the Snowy Mountains region and beyond.

“Our first TBM, the Lady Eileen Hudson, is already a kilometre into the mountain excavating the main access tunnel and now we have TBM Kirsten continuing the tunnelling and construction progress for this amazing project,” Mr Broad said.

“Our growing workforce of almost 1,400 includes hundreds of people from the local region and we have invested more than $70 million with local businesses so far.

“Upskilling workers and investing in the future of our youth will be important legacies of this project so it is very pleasing to see Snowy 2.0 apprentices around site learning their trades and local people having the chance to work on the TBMs.”

Mr Broad, Prime Minister Scott Morrison, Industry, Energy and Emissions Reduction Minister Angus Taylor, and representatives from Snowy 2.0 principal contractor Future Generation Joint Venture, today toured TBM Kirsten at Lobs Hole and watched the cutterhead spin.

Named after NSW astrophysicist and popular science communicator Kirsten Banks, TBM Kirsten is set to excavate the 2.9km emergency, cable and ventilation tunnel (ECVT), which provides alternate access to the underground power station. The 205-metre-long TBM will then bore the 1.4km inclined pressure shaft (IPS) and a 2.4km section of the headrace tunnel.

TBM Kirsten is setting a global standard in tunnel boring technology, just as the original Snowy Scheme developed rock bolting techniques that are still used throughout the world today.

It has been specially designed to excavate the IPS on a very steep gradient (to +47% or a 25-degree angle) so all equipment within the TBM can switch to work on the incline, and the stairways and walkways pivot to remain horizontal.

TBM Kirsten was named earlier this year by local student Kobe Burnes as part of the Snowy 2.0 Tunnel Boring Machine Naming Competition, which highlighted leading Australian women in STEM.

News

LOCAL PRECAST FACTORY LAUNCHED FOR SNOWY 2.0

18/10/2021

LOCAL PRECAST FACTORY LAUNCHED FOR SNOWY 2.0

Snowy Hydro has launched its new Snowy 2.0 precast factory in Cooma, where 130,000 concrete segments are being produced locally to line the tunnels for the major pumped-hydro project.

Snowy 2.0 is a nation-building project that will underpin thousands of megawatts of renewables and will continue to keep the lights on for generations to come.

The $5.1 billion Snowy 2.0 project is powering ahead, delivering jobs and significant economic benefit to the regions. More than 1,200 people are already working on the project including over 220 jobs during the segment factory construction and operation.

Snowy Hydro CEO and Managing Director Paul Broad said he was pleased to see many locals employed at the factory as part of Snowy 2.0.

“Right from the start, we wanted to build this factory locally rather than import segments from overseas or interstate because it meant local jobs, opportunities and investment,” Mr Broad said.

“So it’s with great pride that we celebrate the official launch of this critical facility for Snowy 2.0 alongside our principal contractor and factory operator Future Generation Joint Venture.”

The factory operations include a concrete batching plant and two automated carousels, producing up to 24 rings, each one made of nine segments, per day.

Raw materials are sourced from the local area to mix concrete within the batching plant, which is then transferred into the factory and poured into specially-designed moulds every 10 minutes.

In a recycling initiative, around 70,000 tonnes of slag – a by-product of the steel manufacturing process – is used to produce the segments. This reduces the amount of cement required by 40 per cent.

The segments will supply the three Snowy 2.0 tunnel boring machines as they excavate and line more than 27 kilometres of tunnels between Tantangara and Talbingo reservoirs.

The Lady Eileen Hudson TBM is well underway excavating the main access tunnel (currently more than 600 metres in), and the second machine, TBM Kirsten, is being assembled ready for commissioning and launch.

Snowy 2.0 project background: Snowy 2.0 will link two existing Snowy Scheme reservoirs, Tantangara and Talbingo, with 27km of waterway tunnels and a power station with six pump-turbines located about 800m underground. Water in the top storage will be released for energy generation at times of peak demand and pumped back at times when there is excess energy in the grid, so Snowy 2.0 is ready to meet demand when needed.

News

NEW COOMA ACCOMMODATION DEVELOPMENT FOR SNOWY 2.0

11/02/2021

Construction is underway for a $19 million, 126-bed accommodation development to house Cooma-based workers for the Snowy 2.0 pumped-hydro renewable energy project.

Snowy Hydro and Snowy 2.0 principal contractor Future Generation Joint Venture celebrated with a sod-turning ceremony at the site today.

Known as Joule Ridge, the accommodation investment is another significant contribution by Snowy Hydro to the local region’s economy and supports the thousands of jobs created by Snowy 2.0, said CEO Paul Broad.

“Snowy 2.0 is ramping up and with 4,000 jobs being created over the life of the project, it’s an important part of our project planning to build this accommodation at Joule Ridge.

“It will provide more than 120 beds for Snowy 2.0 workers including some of those working at the Polo Flat Segment Factory, the Future Generation office and other local areas.

“Joule Ridge will also address some of the social pressures that come with economic growth, such as a shortage of housing.

“Once all accommodation construction is completed, between Joule Ridge, Lobs Hole and Tantangara, we will have capacity to accommodate almost 1,700 workers.”

There are also Snowy 2.0 workers accommodated at other locations including Cabramurra, Adaminaby and Providence Portal.

Consisting of up to 140 modular units, Joule Ridge will provide accommodation, communal facilities, parking and landscaping. Operating for the life of the Snowy 2.0 project, accommodation will be provided across 90 single rooms and 36 self-contained units.

Snowy Hydro purchased the five-hectare land parcel, which had been abandoned for several decades, specifically for Snowy 2,0 worker accommodation.

The development of Joule Ridge is being managed by Future Generation. Earthworks and preliminary construction activities will be underway within days, with Joule Ridge expected to be opened by mid-year.

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

News

Keeping the lights on for generations to come

26/02/2019

At Snowy, we have a proud history and a strong vision. Snowy Hydro, supercharged by Snowy 2.0, will underpin Australia’s renewable energy future and keep the lights on for generations to come.

Almost 70 years after the first sod was turned on the mighty Snowy Scheme, we will do it all again. Today, after consideration of our Board’s Final Investment Decision, we welcome Shareholder approval of Snowy 2.0.

“It’s an exciting time for our Company,” Snowy Hydro CEO Paul Broad said. “Snowy 2.0, like the original Snowy Scheme, is a nation building project that is vital to Australia’s economy and our energy transition.

“This significant expansion of the Snowy Scheme will provide the storage and on-demand generation needed to balance the growth of wind and solar power and the retirement of Australia’s ageing fleet of thermal power stations. In short, it will keep our energy system secure.

“Snowy 2.0 is not only a sound business investment for Snowy Hydro with over 8% return on investment. It also represents the most cost-effective way to ensure a reliable, clean power system for the future.

“When it is completed, Snowy 2.0 will be able to deliver 2000MW of on-demand generation, up to 175 hours of storage, and deliver more competition that will keep downward pressure on prices.

“We are committed to continuing to grow our portfolio of assets, to maximise competition in the National Electricity Market (NEM) and deliver more value to consumers,” Mr Broad said.

Last year Snowy Hydro contracted 888 megawatts (MW) of wind and solar projects which gave us incredible insights into energy pricing. This process confirmed many of the assumptions of Snowy 2.0’s business case, including that the National Electricity Market (NEM) has passed a tipping point. New renewables are now the most economic form of new generation, even when firmed by hydro or gas.

Snowy Hydro existing fast-start assets, and increased capacity with Snowy 2.0, will firm up large amounts of intermittent renewables by coming in and out of the system to ‘fill the gaps’ by generating energy at times of peak demand.

Snowy Hydro has a strong track record when it comes to pumped-hydro. For decades we’ve been successfully operating our pumping capability at Tumut 3 and that has been invaluable, especially in years of drought.

Snowy Hydro is the fourth-largest energy player in the NEM, providing much-needed competition in the market. Snowy 2.0, along with other developments, is adding to a portfolio that operates efficiently and reliably in a highly unpredictable NEM to maximise competition and drive the best outcomes for consumers.

Snowy 2.0 Exploratory Works will start immediately. The project is expected to generate up to 5000 jobs over the life of the project.

News

Snowy Hydro’s retailers give unconditional discounts to their standing offer customers

30/11/2018

Snowy Hydro’s energy retailers Red Energy and Lumo Energy will offer all their electricity customers on standing offers an automatic and unconditional discount of 10% commencing January 1, 2019.

The discount will apply unconditionally and will provide customers in Victoria, South Australia, New South Wales and Queensland savings on their electricity bills of between $195 and $270 per year for an average user.

Ironically, many of these customers were previously on market contracts and paying less, but once their contracts expired they had to be moved to standing offers, as required by current regulation. Retailers are required by law to roll customers onto standing offers once their market contract expires, unless the customer provides their explicit consent to take a better deal.

Iain Graham, CEO of Red Energy and Lumo Energy said “we have attempted to contact these customers several times by post, email and phone to offer them a choice of market offers and competitive rates. These customers have not taken up this opportunity and have remained on a standing offer. Regardless we want to provide these customers with a better deal and are therefore delivering them an unconditional 10% saving on their electricity bills. We don’t want these customers to be disadvantaged.”

There are no conditions – customers will not have to wait twelve months to be eligible for the discount, nor will they have to be a concession customer, a pensioner or a health care card holder.

“Given the current energy regulation, providing these customers with a discount without their explicit consent is technically not allowed. However, we believe in doing the decent thing by our customers who by fault of the regulation have been left paying too much” said Mr Graham.

For more information contact:

rachel.friend@redenergy.com.au (RED/LUMO)

stephanie.mckew@snowyhydro.com.au (SNOWY HYDRO)

News

Snowy Hydro signs game-changing deals

01/11/2018

Snowy Hydro announced the signing of eight wind and solar contracts today to provide cheaper energy to 500,000 households.

The eight projects, totalling 888 megawatts (MW), are located across New South Wales and Victoria and are expected to generate about 2.8 terawatt hours of energy annually.

The new renewable energy generation, ‘firmed’ by existing Snowy Hydro assets, is a game-changer and will push down future energy prices. This will bring on significant new energy supply and therefore much-needed competition to the market, and will enable Snowy Hydro to pass on lower wholesale prices to our customers.

The renewable energy we have contracted will enable Snowy Hydro to offer very competitive, firm wholesale prices (ie. the cost of the raw renewable energy plus the cost of ‘firming’) – for below $70/MWh for a flat load, for up to 15 years.

Snowy Hydro is a key provider of fast-start, “capacity”-type products, and we keep the lights on at times of high demand. However, we are ‘energy short’ (meaning that we do not generate enough energy from own power stations to cover all of our customers) so we have to purchase energy from the wholesale market. We are one of the largest energy buyers in the NEM and, just like households, we are exposed to high wholesale prices.

Over the last 12 months, there have been rapid changes in the NEM and competitive pricing across all generation technologies has seen the cost of renewables fall.

Snowy Hydro was overwhelmed with the level of interest in our Renewable Energy Procurement Program, which saw more than 17,600MW of projects submitted through the procurement process. All eight winning projects are expected to come online within the next two years.

Snowy Hydro’s existing hydro, gas and diesel assets give us the ability to ‘firm’ up vast amounts of intermittent renewable generation today to ensure energy is available when needed.

In simple terms, ‘firming’ works by transforming intermittent energy into reliable energy so it’s available on-demand when a customer needs it. While the energy output of individual projects varies, Snowy Hydro’s power stations can work in combination with wind and solar, creating ‘firm’ reliable energy.

Snowy Hydro owns Red Energy and Lumo Energy, which together have more than one million customers.

News

Snowy 2.0 Exploratory Works EIS released

25/07/2018

An Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for Snowy Hydro’s proposed Snowy 2.0 Exploratory Works has been released for a 28-day public exhibition period.

Snowy Hydro is seeking approval to proceed with a program of Exploratory Works to gain a greater understanding of the underground geological conditions at the likely location of the proposed Snowy 2.0 underground power station.

An EIS addressing the Exploratory Works’ environmental, social and economic impacts has been submitted to the NSW Government and will undergo comprehensive assessment as part of the planning and approvals process.

In preparing the EIS, Snowy Hydro engaged world-leading technical and scientific experts across a range of disciplines, including terrestrial and aquatic ecology and cultural heritage. The Exploratory Works have been designed in a careful and specific way to avoid and minimise environmental impacts.

The location of the works at the Lobs Hole Ravine region and the site access roads were redesigned and relocated to help avoid sensitive areas and species as they were identified during the EIS process.

The Exploratory Works, if approved, would provide further important information as part of the Snowy 2.0 project design process. While geological investigations have already been carried out from the surface, the rock has not been explored in-situ, at depth.

The proposed Exploratory Works will include horizontal core samples taken at depth almost one kilometre below the ground. The new geological data will ensure the precise location and design of the underground cavern can be confirmed.

This aspect of the project is one of the biggest challenges for Snowy 2.0 and gathering additional geological information as soon as possible is critical. Similar exploratory works were undertaken in the 1950s before the construction of the Snowy Scheme’s existing underground power stations of Tumut 1 and Tumut 2.

Snowy Hydro has a proud track record over many decades of responsible environmental management in Kosciuszko National Park. Any impacts from Snowy 2.0 will be carefully considered, and where impacts cannot be avoided, they will be offset.

Snowy Hydro is very supportive of stakeholder views that any offsets from Snowy 2.0 should be used for projects in the Snowy Mountains region.

To assist the community to access the EIS, Snowy Hydro has launched an interactive online EIS portal with information and videos about the project. It can be accessed here at https://v2.communityanalytics.com.au/snowy/eis

The Exploratory Works EIS is also available to download from the Department of Planning and Environment (DPE)