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.

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. 

Snowy 2.0 is generating exciting employment and upskilling opportunities for the local community, with six men and women from the local region recently joining Snowy Hydro’s nation-building renewable energy project as surveying trainees.

The $5.1 billion Snowy 2.0 project is delivering thousands of jobs and significant economic benefit to the local region, with around 1,300 people now working onsite.

The trainee group, employed by Snowy 2.0 principal contractor Future Generation Joint Venture, has started formal training in Surveying and Spatial Sciences at TAFE NSW. 

The new recruits – Emily Smith (Adaminaby), Trent Thatcher (Tumut), Ian Kilowsky (Jindabyne), Samuel Hayes (Adelong) and Stuart Donlan and Dominic Mooney (Cooma) – are already working across a range of Snowy 2.0 sites.

Future Generation Survey Manager, David Ibbotson, has welcomed the new trainees and is happy to see people entering the surveying industry and training for the future. 

“All six of our trainees will learn from our experienced survey team, and I look forward to watching our trainees grow and prove their skills working across our project sites” Mr Ibbotson said. 

“I hope they will soon have the skills to guide tunnelling excavations underground and continue their education to complete formal qualifications in surveying and spatial sciences,” he said.

Snowy Hydro Relations Manager Dean Lynch said the Snowy 2.0 training and education opportunities were an important workforce legacy.

“We have always wanted the local community to benefit from this project not only through the business investment and economic boost, but through jobs and training,” Mr Lynch said. “This intake of surveying trainees gives another group of local people the chance to learn valuable skills and establish a career through Snowy 2.0.” 

Mr Ibbotson said Future Generation plans to expand the survey traineeships and has encouraged other local people to apply for future positions that could lead to career pathways as survey technicians and assistants.

“I am very encouraged so far by the aptitude and tenacity displayed by the first group of trainees and look forward to watching them exceed and develop in a profession I have personally found constantly challenging and endlessly rewarding,” he said.

Future Generation Training Manager, Aaron Reid, acknowledged Mr Ibbotson’s commitment in attracting the new Snowy 2.0 recruits.

“It is extremely satisfying seeing how our employees are taking care of their own work and are happy to share their knowledge. This represents the spirit of Future Generation JV,” Mr Reid said. 

“We are pleased to promote training and apprenticeship programs on Snowy 2.0 and we welcome more enthusiastic and passionate young professionals interested to join the project team. Future Generation is committed to providing skills and opportunities that can be transitioned from the Snowy 2.0 project to the local region and to build individual skills and capabilities,” he said.

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.

Future Generation is a joint venture created specifically to build Snowy 2.0 on behalf of Snowy Hydro Limited. The joint venture brings the combined engineering expertise of three companies — Italy’s Webuild (formerly Salini Impregilo), Australian-based Clough, and US-based Lane Construction.

Snowy Hydro is excited to announce the winning names for two of our Snowy 2.0 tunnel boring
machines (TBMs) – Kirsten and Florence.

Students in the Snowy Mountains were invited to nominate groundbreaking Australian women in the
fields of science, technology engineering and maths (STEM) for the Snowy 2.0 TBM Naming
Competition. Almost 3,000 people voted on a shortlist of six influential women, with astrophysicist
Kirsten Banks and electrical engineer Florence Violet McKenzie receiving majority votes.

We congratulate the two students who nominated these influential women: Kobe Burnes (Brungle)
choosing Kirsten Banks and Riley Douch (Berridale) selecting Florence Violet McKenzie.

Our student competition winners will receive prizes including a visit to the Snowy 2.0 construction
site to see their named TBM before it goes underground and a VIP experience for their class at the
Snowy Hydro Discovery Centre in Cooma.

The three Snowy 2.0 TBMs now all have names, with the first already titled the Lady Eileen Hudson,
in honour of the original Snowy Scheme ambassador and wife of inaugural Commissioner, Sir
William Hudson.

Tunnel boring machines are always named after women, a tradition stemming from the 1600s when
miners working underground prayed to Saint Barbara for protection.

Snowy Hydro, with its commitment to inspiring students to become the next generation of
innovators, asked local children in school stages 3-6 (years 5-12) to highlight the achievements of
inspiring Australian STEM women as part of the Snowy 2.0 TBM Naming Competition. More than 70
nominations were received from 15 schools throughout the Snowy Mountains region.

Kirsten Banks is an astrophysicist, science communicator and proud Wiradjuri woman. She loves to
share her passion for the stars and is well-known for her short and entertaining TikTok videos about
space and astronomy. Currently she is doing a PhD in the field of galactic archaeology, studying the
stars of the Milky Way to uncover secrets of its formation and evolution.

Florence Violet McKenzie (1890 – 1982), Australia’s first female electrical engineer, is best known for
her contribution to women’s technical education and for creating the Women’s Emergency Signalling
Corps during World War II. She taught women telegraphy so they could replace men in this civilian
occupation, however, she also trained more than 12,000 servicemen in morse code.

Find out more by visiting https://www.snowyhydro.com.au/tbm-naming-competition

Local community members, including business owners, are invited to find out more about Snowy 2.0 project progress and opportunities at an information session being held at the Cooma Car Club on Thursday 3 June, starting at 5.30pm.

Snowy Hydro and Snowy 2.0 principal contractor Future Generation Joint Venture, with the support of the Cooma Chamber of Commerce, are hosting the event to provide updates about the project, particularly in relation to jobs and local business involvement.

Hear from the Snowy 2.0 project team about:

• Local procurement and the pre-qualification process for suppliers;
• Job opportunities for locals;
• Current construction activities and news
• Traffic management updates.  

Snowy Hydro CEO Paul Broad said Snowy 2.0 was playing a significant role as the Snowy Mountains region bounced back from the lows of bushfires and the coronavirus pandemic.

“There are more than 150 local businesses across the region already involved with Snowy 2.0 and together with Future Generation, we are working hard to provide even more supplier opportunities.

“I’m sure people have questions to ask so I would encourage everyone to come along to the information session to hear the latest news about Snowy 2.0 and learn more about business, training and work opportunities,” Mr Broad said.

There will be formal presentations and Q&As at the Cooma event, plus the chance to speak one-on-one with project team members while enjoying light refreshments. 

Snowy 2.0 Business and Community Information Session

Date and time: Thursday 3 June, 5.30pm (for a 6pm start) – 7.30pm

Where: Cooma Car Club, 11 Bolaro St, Cooma

No RSVP required.

Snowy Hydro today celebrated a major milestone, with commissioning underway for the first tunnel boring machine (TBM) for the Snowy 2.0 project.

The ‘Lady Eileen Hudson’ TBM will soon commence tunnelling for Australia’s largest renewable energy project, the 2,000 megawatt pumped-hydro expansion of the mighty Snowy Scheme.

Named after an important Snowy Scheme ambassador and the wife of inaugural Scheme Commissioner Sir William Hudson, the Lady Eileen Hudson TBM is set to excavate the 2.6km main access tunnel and provide access to the site of the underground power station cavern.

Snowy Hydro CEO Paul Broad joined Energy and Emissions Reduction Minister Angus Taylor and representatives from principal contractor Future Generation Joint Venture at the Lobs Hole construction site to inspect the TBM.

Mr Broad said Snowy 2.0 construction had been progressing at a rapid rate.

“The commissioning of the Lady Eileen Hudson TBM is an important milestone for the project and it’s great to see the cutterhead rotate. Tunnelling operations will soon be underway around-the-clock at Lobs Hole, building about 40km of tunnels needed for the project,” Mr Broad said.

“We’ve already got 1,000 people working on Snowy 2,0, including locals from the Snowy Mountains and surrounding areas.

”Overall this project is delivering 4,000 direct jobs and thousands more in the supply chain.

“There are huge economic multiplier effects from our Snowy 2.0 investment, with almost a billion dollars already spent in Australia and more than $55m with 150 Snowy Mountains businesses.

“Snowy 2.0 is critical for the energy market and consumers, and will provide on-demand energy and large-scale storage to underpin Australia’s transition to renewables.”

The Lady Eileen Hudson TBM will excavate two tunnels. Firstly the main access tunnel, and then  it will be relaunched underground to excavate the tailrace tunnel to the Talbingo Reservoir intake – for a total of 7.9km.

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.   

Work is about to start on a 500m section of channel between the Murrumbidgee / Eucumbene tunnel outlet and the Eucumbene river at Providence Portal, to improve safety and environmental outcomes downstream.

This section of channel is designed to sit below the Lake Eucumbene full supply level, but due to the current lake levels, it has been exposed, resulting in some unstable banks. As a short-term measure, the area has been fenced off.

Improvement works have been designed and funded to address the instability, according to Snowy Hydro area manager Kent Allen.

“The banks of the channel would benefit from ‘laying back’ and armouring with local rock material to address these concerns. This work is also expected to improve water quality outcomes downstream,” said Mr Allen.

The work is being carried out for Snowy Hydro by Leed Engineering and Construction and is due to commence in late March so it can be finished prior to winter.

“Snowy Hydro regrets any short-term impacts to people who use this small section of channel. This can be a busy time of the year for fishing and camping. However, the works are not expected to impact anyone who is fishing upstream of the Portal on the Eucumbene River or visiting the wider Eucumbene foreshore area,” said Mr Allen. “The long-term benefits of these improvement works will result in a much safer and improved foreshore experience for people visiting this area of Lake Eucumbene.”

The works are being carried out in close consultation with the local trout fishing advocacy group, the Monaro Acclimatisation Society. MAS spokesman Steve Samuels said the works should improve conditions downstream for trout breeding and fishing, which are an important economic driver for the region.

The work is expected to be completed by 30 April 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