They came together from all corners of the world to build the iconic Snowy Scheme and decades later, a visit to the Snowy 2.0 project has provided former workers with an eye-opening snapshot of Australia’s renewable energy future.
About 60 members of the Snowy Scheme workforce continued 75th anniversary celebrations with a tour of the main Snowy 2.0 construction worksite at Lobs Hole and lunch with current workers.
Snowy Hydro’s 2,200 megawatt pumped hydro mega project, which is expanding the Snowy Scheme generating capacity by more than 50% and delivering 160 hours of energy storage, made an impression on the tour group.
Former Chief Operating Officer Ken Lister, described the engineering on display as “truly world class” and was matched by the competence, courage and collaboration of the Snowy 2.0 workforce.
“It is obvious that the people of Snowy 2.0 are just as committed to delivering a project to ‘keep the lights on’ as the former workers were in ‘turning the waters westward’,” Ken said.
Tumut resident Ray Holloway, who worked as a fitter’s assistant on the Tumut 3 Power Station build, said the scale of Snowy 2.0 was ‘amazing’.
“The whole day was magnificent and to see the project like that was a memorable experience. It’s a lot bigger than I thought it was,” Ray said.
Snowy 2.0 Project Director, Snowy Hydro’s Dave Evans, said it was a privilege to host former Scheme workers onsite.
“We were incredibly proud to show them Snowy 2.0 and to acknowledge their contribution to this project – without them, and the mighty Snowy Mountains Scheme, we wouldn’t be here today,” Dave said. “We stand on the shoulders of those who came before us.
“Together, the Snowy Scheme and Snowy 2.0 will be critically important to underpin Australia’s transition to renewable energy.”
The Lobs Hole site tour followed a 75 years of the Snowy Scheme Former Worker Reunion event in Cooma and a range of community-led initiatives including an open day at the Snowy Scheme Museum in Adaminaby.
The final Snowy Hydro initiative for the 75th anniversary is the community open day at Tumut 3 Power Station on Saturday, 2 November. A record number of registrations were received, with registrations for this event now closed.