The Hunter Power Project was declared Critical State Significant Infrastructure by the NSW Government, and went through a rigorous and transparent planning and environmental approvals process.
Project milestones
Hunter Power Project announcement
Mitsubishi Power engaged
Business case released
Earthworks well underway
200 continuous flight auger piles
First concrete pour for GT1
Concrete pour for GT2
Generator Stator Delivery
Generator Lift and Installation
Turbine Reassembly
Tanks construction
GT1 Rotor Lift and Installation
Combustor Installation
Generator and Turbine Assembly Completion
Preliminary Alignment Complete
Control and Administration Building Completion
Balance of Plant Tanks
Concrete Foundations
Fin Fan Coolers
SFC Buildings
IPB to GSUT Completion
Kurri North Switching Station
Pressure Testing Commences
132kV Control and Protection Room
Final Alignment of GT1
Hunter Power Project announcement
19 May 2021
Snowy Hydro Managing Director and CEO Paul Broad and Minister for Energy and Emissions Reduction Angus Taylor MP announce the Hunter Power Project on site at Kurri Kurri.
Mitsubishi Power engaged
27 September 2021
Following a competitive procurement process and global search, a contract was signed with Mitsubishi Power to deliver two 330MW world-leading and hydrogen-ready F-Class open cycle gas turbines (OCGT). The Hunter Power Project will underpin greater investment in renewables, firming up an estimated 1.5 to 2GW of renewables from within Snowy’s portfolio. That’s equivalent to 160,000 household solar installations.
Business case released
17 October 2021
The Hunter Power Project is based on a strong business case and will have a double-digit internal rate of return in the order 12.3%. It will build on Snowy’s record of sound and strategic investments.
Earthworks well underway
February 2022
Earthworks for the gas-fired power station are well underway. Approximately 125,000 cubic metres of dirt and aggregates were moved on site to help build the construction pad. Approximately 6,750 cubic metres of dirt were excavated for the foundations for the gas turbine and generator.
200 continuous flight auger piles
November 2022
Almost 200 20-metre deep continuous flight auger piles that will hold the foundations for the turbines and infrastructure are installed at site.
First concrete pour for GT1
February 2023
The Hunter Power Project completed the first concrete pour that will form the foundation of the first Gas Turbine, known as GT1.
Concrete pour for GT2
March 2023
The concrete pour for the foundation of GT2 was completed over an 18 hour period.
Generator Stator Delivery
June 2023
Two generator stators arrived on site at Kurri Kurri after their journey from the Port of Newcastle.
The 150-metre-long convoy containing the 314-tonne generator stator left the Port of Newcastle at 9pm on a Saturday evening and arrived at the Kurri Kurri site at 2am on the Sunday, where it was unloaded and positioned for installation.
The convoy included six prime movers, four police escort vehicles and four pilot vehicles.
Generator Lift and Installation
July 2023
Two 313-tonne generators were successfully installed.
The Hunter Power Project team expertly performed all the required pre-checks and inspections before using a 600-tonne lift-and-lock jacking system to perfectly centre and lift the units. The units were first lifted 5-metres high and then moved 12-metres horizontally, before being lowered into position.
Turbine Reassembly
August 2023
Two 415-tonne gas fired turbines from Mitsubishi Heavy Industries are being reassembled on site from the ground up – the largest in Australia to be put together this way.
This task has commenced under domes to protect the turbines from contamination. Each turbine has approximately one million assembly parts to be reassembled under these domes. The reassembly requires a very high degree of precision and a fine tolerance of 0.02 millimetres, which is the smallest dimension that the human eye can resolve.
Tanks construction
September 2023
Construction of the four tanks at Hunter Power Project are maintaining progress against their target completion dates. A milestone will be reached with the hydro-test of the Service Water Tank, scheduled for the first week in December.
Three of these tanks are constructed with carbon steel: one for service water and the other two for the back-up Diesel fuel. The fourth tank is being constructed of stainless steel and will store demineralised water that is essential for the energy generation process.
Once finished, these tanks will have a capacity between 2.2 and 2.5 million litres each – approximately the same capacity as an Olympic pool.
GT1 Rotor Lift and Installation
November 2023
The installation of the Hunter Power Project’s rotor for Gas Turbine One has been successful.
The approximately 100-tonne critical component with 1,522 blades has been imported straight from Japan. Installation of the rotor required precision as the clearance between the blades and the rotor’s casing is crucial to the turbine’s function and efficiency. The equipment has now been sheltered temporarily to protect it from the elements.
Once in operation, the rotor will spin at 3,000 RPM – 50 times per second – faster than the human eye can discern.
Combustor Installation
February 2024
Work on the combustor installations was completed at the end of February 2024. 20 individual dual-fuel (diesel and gas) combustors were installed into both turbines, with each combustor weighing approximately 440kg each. Each one of these combustors are highly important for the functioning of the units. Fuel from the combustor is ignited and mixed with compressed air in the combustion chamber. The air then expands, pushing into the turbine blades, and subsequently chemical energy turns the shaft to generate mechanical energy. This mechanical energy is then converted into electrical energy by the generator.
Generator and Turbine Assembly Completion
March 2024
March 2024 marked another key milestone for HPP – the successful completion of the generator and turbine assembly for both units. After the assembly, a simple check was required – the team turned the turbine shaft and confirmed the successful assembly after the turbine ran smoothly, quietly and all functioned as expected.
Preliminary Alignment Complete
April 2024
Preliminary alignment of the turbine / generator for both GT1 and GT2 was completed in April 2024. The HPP mechanical team made fine adjustments to the hundredth millimetre, ensuring the generator shaft was perfectly aligned with the turbine shaft. The piping team will step in next, to connect the piping into the turbine and generator casing flanges at their final positions.
Control and Administration Building Completion
April 2024
The Control and Administration building, which houses the central control room and distributed control system (DCS), was completed in April 2024. This building is where the future operations and maintenance team will be based. However, there will be a hive of commissioning activity for the DCS for the next few months. The DCS is the ‘brain’ of the entire power station, and all plant functions require verification and testing by the DCS using a visual representation of the facility.
Balance of Plant Tanks
June 2024
All four Balance of Plant Tanks have been completed and passed their hydrostatic tests. This involved filling the tanks with water to ensure there were no leaks. Each tank is approximately 11 metres high, with an internal diameter of 15 metres, and has a capacity of 1.944 million litres. When full, the total weight of each tank is 1,993 tonnes. The Service Water Tank is for potable water used across the project, while the Demineralised Water Tank will hold demineralised water of extremely high purity for use in the power generation process. It took 46 B-double trucks delivering 42,000L of water each from Colongra Power Station to fill the Demineralised Water Tank (third from left in image). The total travel distance of this two-week process was 5,520km or HPP to Perth and almost halfway back. All four tanks will now be handed over to the commissioning team, who will start filling the remaining tanks with diesel to be used for commissioning of the turbine. These diesel tanks will hold the back-up fuel to keep the turbines going when gas is not readily available.
Concrete Foundations
June 2024
In the civil space at the Hunter Power Project, most services – including trade waste, stormwater systems, oily water systems, fire ring mains, and mechanical services – are completed in the ground. All concrete slabs in GT1, GT2, and Balance of Plant areas are completed except for some minor pipe supports and trenches, infill slabs, and light pole foundations. The civil team will now work on the finishing touches to site with infill pavement slabs, earthworks for pavements, and remaining pits and bollards.
Fin Fan Coolers
June 2024
The installation of the Hunter Power Project’s Fin Fan Coolers has been successful. These closed-loop cooling systems weigh 30 tonnes each and are essentially air-cooled heat exchangers (ACHE). The process fluid enters the ACHE through inlet nozzles, passes through the tube bundle, and exits through outlet nozzles, cooling down as it transfers heat to the surrounding air. The tube bundle is cooled from air forced through by fans driven via electric motors. At HPP, each gas turbine has a dedicated closed-loop cooling water system. These systems circulate demineralised water treated with corrosion-inhibiting chemicals to cool the following equipment:
- The generator
- Control oil
- Lube oil
- High-pressure purge air compressors
SFC Buildings
June 2024
The installation of the Hunter Power Project’s SFC Buildings was a multidisciplinary team effort that required careful planning. The buildings weigh 24 tonnes each and were transported more than 1,500km on a three-day journey from Adelaide before arriving to site in August 2023. The installation took place in an area where Simultaneous Operations (SIMOPs) is vital and attention to detail is required. SIMOPs involves supervisor and trade interactivity on the ground for the coordination of effort and safety. This is a key milestone – unit 1 is on the critical path and is important to the project’s commissioning portion.
IPB to GSUT Completion
July 2024
At Gas Turbine One (GT1), all three phases of the Isolated Phase Bus (IPB) have been connected from the Generator Step-Up Transformer (GSUT) to the Generator Circuit Breaker (GCB). The HPP team aims to extend the connection from the GCB to GT1 by mid-September 2024. This is an important milestone for HPP with the IPB on the critical path. The IPB carries the power from the Gas Turbine Generator to the GSUT, which is where the power lines start for the transmission.
Kurri North Switching Station
August 2024
Kurri North Switching Station (KNSS) is complete. This switching station will be handed over to Ausgrid for their energisation of the facility by the end of August 2024. KNSS connects the two generators at HPP to the broader 132 kV network. It is how the power generated from HPP makes its way into the National Electricity Market (NEM).
Pressure Testing Commences
August 2024
Pressure testing for the diesel system, demineralised water system, fire water system and lube oil system has commenced. Pressure testing aims to check that the pipework is fit for service without any leaks in flanges, pipes or welds. All tests occur in a controlled environment to ensure the safety for the testing personnel. Pressure testing is performed well above the expected design pressure of the service to ensure any issues are identified.
132kV Control and Protection Room
August 2024
The HPP team completed a walk down for the 132kV Control and Protection Room. This room is critical for commissioning HPP as it enables back-energisation of the power station from the grid later this year. It houses electrical protection equipment that protects the transmission lines, feeders and generator transformers from electrical faults. It also contains the metering equipment that measures electrical output from the power station for revenue purposes.
Final Alignment of GT1
August 2024
Grouting and final alignment of GT1 is complete. Grouting is a six-step sequential process and ensures mechanical equipment has a smooth contact surface for levelling and alignment. The sequence is as follows: (1) generator/slip ring/turning device foundation bolts; (2) slip ring seating plate; (3) generator seating plate; (4) enclosure I-beam; (5) generator walkway; and (6) turning device seating plate.
Environmental Impact Statement (EIS)
The EIS details Snowy Hydro’s proposal to construct an open-cycle, gas-fired power station near Kurri Kurri, NSW. The Hunter Power Project involves constructing and operating a power station with a capacity of up to 750 megawatts, an electrical switchyard and associated supporting infrastructure.
The station will operate as a ‘peak load’ generation facility, able to supply electricity at short notice when there is a requirement in the National Electricity Market.
For gas operation, a new gas lateral pipeline and gas receiving station would be required. These would be developed, constructed and operated separately by a third party, and they will be subject to a separate environmental assessment and planning approval.
The Hunter Power Project is anticipated to be operational by the end of 2024.
You can read the full Hunter Power Project EIS here. Supporting documents, including appendices, are available on the DPIE Major Projects portal.