News

JINDABYNE LAKE LEVELS – Updated 21 March 2022

21/03/2022

High inflows to the Snowy Scheme, including Jindabyne catchment, have continued through March.

As the lake level at Jindabyne approached 100% on 7 March, additional releases were made to the Snowy River below Jindabyne Dam to manage the high inflows. These release have now tapered off, and will again follow the environmental release targets notified here: https://www.snowyhydro.com.au/about/reports/

The outlook as we head towards winter is for wet conditions to continue. Snowy Hydro will continue to pump water from Jindabyne to Geehi to be released through Murray 1 and 2 Power stations into the upper Murray River at every opportunity. Further releases to the Snowy River may still be required to avoid uncontrolled releases.

If Lake Jindabyne reaches 100%, it will trigger operation of the spillway gates. Dam safety is paramount at this time and the spillway gates will automatically release water at any time the storage reaches or exceeds 100%.
For the community, the most important message is to stay safe and well-informed. The public can stay updated about flood alerts here:

For more information about releases into the Snowy River visit
https://www.snowyhydro.com.au/generation/live-data/lake-level s/ and
https://dpie.nsw.gov.au/water/home
Snowy Hydro will continue to keep the community informed about management of water in Lake Jindabyne through its website and social media channels.
DPE Water will engage with landowners subscribed to its SMS service.

News

JINDABYNE LAKE LEVELS – UPDATED

09/03/2022

Following what is now officially the wettest summer in over 100 years in the Jindabyne catchment, high inflows are now continuing into autumn.

Additional releases to the Snowy River below Jindabyne Dam commenced on 7 March to manage the high inflows. Inflows to the storage have continued at elevated rates and the storage is now at 99% and rising.

Controlled releases from the dam are set to increase today from 3,000 megalitres per day up to 4,000 megalitres. These releases will be greater than the environmental releases notified on Snowy Hydro’s website and may change at short notice in response to the weather conditions. Releases are expected to continue at these elevated rates for the next week or until Jindabyne dam levels can be lowered.

NSW Department of Planning and Environment (DPE Water) has been consulted on this plan and continues to work closely with Snowy Hydro to make controlled releases to manage the spill risks and minimise downstream impacts.

For the community, the most important message is to stay safe and well-informed. The public can stay updated about flood alerts here:

For more information about releases into the Snowy River visit:

https://www.snowyhydro.com.au/generation/live-data/lake-levels/ and

https://dpie.nsw.gov.au/water/home

Snowy Hydro will continue to keep the community informed about management of water in Lake Jindabyne through its website and social media channels.

DPE Water will engage with landowners subscribed to its SMS service.

News

JINDABYNE LAKE LEVELS

07/03/2022

Wet conditions have persisted through summer and are now continuing into autumn. Snowy Hydro has been pumping water out of the Jindabyne catchment at every opportunity and gradually created a significant amount of reservoir airspace considering the conditions.

Heavy rainfall on Saturday has triggered high inflows to Jindabyne Dam and with a forecast for lingering showers and potential for further heavy rain next week, additional releases will be required from Jindabyne Dam to the Snowy River.

Snowy Hydro commenced making additional releases into the Snowy River below Jindabyne storage today on Monday 7 March. These releases will be greater than the environmental releases notified on Snowy Hydro’s website and may change at short notice in response to the weather conditions. Releases could reach flow rates up to 3,000 megalitres per day, similar to the rates that were released in late December 2021 and early January 2022. Releases are expected to continue at these elevated rates for the next week or until Jindabyne dam levels can be lowered.

For the community, the most important message is to stay safe and well-informed. The public can stay updated about flood alerts here:

For more information about releases into the Snowy River visit

https://www.snowyhydro.com.au/generation/live-data/lake-levels/ and
https://dpie.nsw.gov.au/water/home

Snowy Hydro will continue to keep the community informed about management of water in Lake Jindabyne through its website and social media channels.

DPE Water will engage with landowners subscribed to its SMS service.

News

UPDATED: JINDABYNE LAKE LEVELS

03/03/2022

Wet conditions have persisted through summer and are now continuing into autumn. Snowy
Hydro has been pumping water out of the Jindabyne catchment at every opportunity and has
gradually created a significant amount of reservoir airspace considering the conditions.
Weather forecasts are indicating substantial rainfall in the Snowy Mountains in the coming week,
particularly to the east of the Great Dividing Range, which includes Jindabyne’s catchment area.
Based on operational inflow forecasts, there is potential for the storage to reach 100% (full
supply level) by Tuesday 8 March.

To avoid uncontrolled spill, Snowy Hydro may make pre-releases into the Snowy River below
Jindabyne storage as early as Friday 4 March. To the extent pre-releases occur, they will be
greater than the environmental releases notified on Snowy Hydro’s website and may change at
short notice in response to the weather conditions. Releases could reach flow rates up to 3,000
megalitres per day, similar to the rates that were released in late December 2021 and early
January 2022.

NSW Department of Planning and Environment (DPE Water) has been consulted on this plan
and continues to work closely with Snowy Hydro to make controlled releases to manage the
spill risks and minimise downstream impacts.

For the community, the most important message is to stay safe and well-informed. The public
can stay updated about flood alerts here:
● Bureau of Meteorology
● NSW State Emergency Service and
● Vic Emergency

For more information about releases into the Snowy River visit
https://www.snowyhydro.com.au/generation/live-data/lake-levels/ and
https://dpie.nsw.gov.au/water/home

Snowy Hydro will continue to keep the community informed about management of water in
Lake Jindabyne through its website and social media channels.
DPE Water will engage with landowners subscribed to its SMS service, although the BOM and
SES remain the primary sources for up-to-date information and advice.

News

UPDATED: JINDABYNE LAKE LEVELS

24/01/2022

December 2021 was officially the wettest since records began for the Lake Jindabyne catchment and with over 160mm of rain so far, January isn’t too far behind. The lake level will continue to stay high throughout summer.

Releases from Jindabyne Dam to the Snowy River returned to the advised environmental releases from 18 January. Additional flows above the notified environmental releases into the Snowy River are possible while wet conditions persist. Snowy Hydro will continue to look for opportunities to pump water to Geehi Reservoir, however, at times, the surplus of water pumped to Geehi will be returned to Jindabyne.

It remains possible that the storage may again reach 100% (or full supply level), triggering operation of the spillway gates. Dam safety is paramount at this time and the spillway gates will automatically release water at any time the storage reaches or exceeds 100%.

NSW Department of Planning, Industry and Environment (DPIE Water) has been consulted on this plan and continues to work closely with Snowy Hydro to make controlled releases to manage the spill risks and minimise downstream impacts.

For the community, the most important message is to stay safe and well-informed. The public can stay updated about flood alerts here:

For more information about releases into the Snowy River visit

https://www.snowyhydro.com.au/generation/live-data/lake-levels/ and

https://dpie.nsw.gov.au/water/home

Snowy Hydro will continue to keep the community informed about management of water in Lake Jindabyne through its website and social media channels.

News

UPDATED: JINDABYNE LAKE LEVELS

11/01/2022

December 2021 was officially the wettest since records began for the Lake Jindabyne catchment. The lake level will continue to stay high throughout summer.

Daily water releases from the lake of up to 3,000 megalitres (ML) per day will continue until at least 17 January. It is likely that additional flows above the notified environmental releases will continue down the Snowy River while wet conditions persist. Snowy Hydro will continue to look for opportunities to pump water to Geehi Reservoir, however, at times, the surplus of water pumped to Geehi will be returned to Jindabyne.

NSW Department of Planning, Industry and Environment (DPIE Water) have been consulted on this plan and continue to work closely with Snowy Hydro to make controlled releases to manage the spill risks and minimise downstream impacts.

For the community, the most important message is to stay safe and well-informed. The public can stay updated about flood alerts here:

For more information about releases into the Snowy River visit

https://www.snowyhydro.com.au/generation/live-data/lake-levels/ and

https://dpie.nsw.gov.au/water/home

Snowy Hydro will continue to keep the community informed about management of water in Lake Jindabyne through its website and social media channels.

News

UPDATED: JINDABYNE LAKE LEVELS

07/01/2022

December 2021 was officially the wettest since records began for the Lake Jindabyne catchment. The lake level will continue to stay high throughout summer.

Daily water releases from the lake of 3,000 megalitres (ML) per day will continue until at least 10 January. It is likely that additional flows above the notified environmental releases will continue down the Snowy River while wet conditions persist. Snowy Hydro will continue to look for opportunities to pump water to Geehi Reservoir, however, at times, the surplus of water pumped to Geehi will be returned to Jindabyne.

For the community, the most important message is to stay safe and well-informed. The public can stay updated about flood alerts here:

For more information about releases into the Snowy River visit

https://www.snowyhydro.com.au/generation/live-data/lake-levels/ and

https://dpie.nsw.gov.au/water/home

Snowy Hydro will continue to keep the community informed about management of water in Lake Jindabyne through its website and social media channels.

News

UPDATED: JINDABYNE DAM SPILL

05/01/2022

Due to additional rainfall in the forecast, Snowy Hydro is increasing releases from Jindabyne Dam to the Snowy River from the planned target of 200ML per day, to 3,000ML per day.

These increased releases will reduce the risk of flooding and minimise pressure on communities around and downstream of Lake Jindabyne.

It remains possible that the storage may again reach 100% (or full supply level), triggering operation of the spillway gates. Dam safety is paramount at this time and the spillway gates will automatically release water at any time the storage reaches or exceeds 100%.

NSW Department of Planning, Industry and Environment (DPIE Water) have been consulted on this plan and continue to work closely with Snowy Hydro to make controlled releases to manage the spill risks and minimise downstream impacts.

Lake levels are anticipated to remain high for at least the next month, with continuing wet weather predicted in the seasonal outlook.

For the community, the most important message is to stay safe and well informed. The public can stay updated about flood alerts here:

For more information about releases into the Snowy River visit
https://www.snowyhydro.com.au/generation/live-data/lake-levels/ and
https://dpie.nsw.gov.au/water/home

Snowy Hydro will continue to keep the community informed about management of water in Lake Jindabyne through its website and social media channels

News

UPDATED: JINDABYNE DAM SPILL

22/12/2021

Following recent significant rainfall events, Jindabyne Dam reached full supply level on Monday 20 December and commenced spilling into the Snowy River.

Up to 140mm of rain was recorded in Snowy Scheme catchments last weekend, continuing what has been a very wet year and the wettest November/December since 1992.

With further storm activity forecast for the Christmas weekend and limited opportunities to pump water from Lake Jindabyne into the Murray River catchment, Snowy Hydro has reached agreement with NSW Department of Planning, Industry and Environment (DPIE Water) to increase releases from the dam to bring the lake below full supply level. However, it is possible that the spillway may operate again if further extreme rainfall is experienced.

Upcoming releases from Jindabyne Dam into the Snowy River:

On Wednesday 22 December, the river will have a daily flow rate of 4,092 megalitres per day over a 24-hour period. According to DPIE (Water), this will result in a highest peak of 1.45m at Dalgety Weir.

On Thursday 23 December, the river will have a daily flow rate of 5,000 megalitres per day over a 24-hour period. According to DPIE (Water), this will result in a highest peak of 1.51m at Dalgety Weir.

On Friday 24 December, the river will have a daily flow rate of 4,866 megalitres per day over a 24-hour period. According to DPIE (Water), this will result in a highest peak of 1.50m at Dalgety Weir.

On Saturday 25 December, the river will have a daily flow rate of 2,387 megalitres per day over a 24-hour period. According to DPIE (Water), this will result in a highest peak of 1.50m at Dalgety Weir.

Snowy Hydro will continue to work closely with DPIE Water to identify opportunities to make controlled releases to manage the spill risks and minimise downstream impacts. Dam safety is paramount at this time and the spillway gates will automatically release water at any time the storage reaches or exceeds 100%.

Lake levels are anticipated to remain high for at least the next month, with continuing wet weather predicted in the seasonal outlook.

For the community, the most important message is to stay safe and well informed. The public can stay updated about flood alerts here:

For more information about releases into the Snowy River visit

https://www.snowyhydro.com.au/generation/live-data/lake-levels/ and https://dpie.nsw.gov.au/water/home

Snowy Hydro will continue to keep the community informed about management of water in Lake Jindabyne through its website and social media channels.

News

JINDABYNE DAM SPILL

20/12/2021

Following recent significant rainfall events, Jindabyne Dam reached full supply level (FSL) today and commenced spilling into the Snowy River this morning.

Up to 140mm of rain was recorded in Snowy Scheme catchments over the weekend, continuing what has been a very wet year and the wettest November/December since 1992.

The spillway is likely to continue to operate intermittently for the next few days and Lake Jindabyne will remain very close to FSL this week.

With further storm activity forecast for the Christmas weekend and limited opportunities to pump water from Lake Jindabyne into the Murray River catchment, it is expected the spillway may operate again by the end of the week.

Snowy Hydro is working closely with NSW Department of Planning, Industry and Environment (Water) to identify opportunities to make controlled releases and manage downstream impacts. Dam safety is paramount at this time and the spillway gates will automatically release water to return the storage to 100%.

Lake levels are anticipated to remain high for at least the next month, with continuing wet weather predicted in the seasonal outlook.

For the community the most important message is to stay safe and well-informed. The public can stay updated about flood alerts here:

For more information about releases into the Snowy River visit

https://www.snowyhydro.com.au/generation/live-data/lake-levels/ and

https://dpie.nsw.gov.au/water/home

Snowy Hydro will continue to keep the community informed about management of water in Lake Jindabyne through its website and social media channels.

News

ONE KILOMETRE SNOWY 2.0 TUNNELLING MILESTONE

09/12/2021

Snowy 2.0, a nation-building pumped-hydro project that will provide Australia with on-demand, clean, renewable energy and large-scale storage, is celebrating its inaugural tunnelling milestone.

The project’s first tunnel boring machine (TBM), the Lady Eileen Hudson, has passed the one kilometre mark of the 2.6km main access tunnel, which leads to the site of the underground power station cavern.

Minister for Industry, Energy and Emissions Reduction Angus Taylor said Snowy 2.0 is going from strength to strength.

“Reaching this critical milestone brings Snowy 2.0 closer to delivering 2,000 megawatts of fast-start, dispatchable energy needed to make our grid secure and keep pressure on power prices for Australian families and businesses,” Minister Taylor said.

“Snowy 2.0 will store the excess energy from Australia’s world-leading levels of household solar and use that energy when the sun goes down, enough to power the equivalent of 500,000 homes for over a week during peak demand.

“The project is providing a major job and economic boom for the Snowy region, building on the great legacy of the Snowy Scheme, a national icon.”

Snowy Hydro Managing Director and CEO Paul Broad said the tunnelling achievement highlighted the Snowy 2.0 project’s outstanding construction progress.

“It’s an exciting time in the mountains with Snowy 2.0 – this is a megaproject that’s on-budget and due to produce first power in 2025 as planned,” Mr Broad said.

“Tunnelling at Lobs Hole is going very well, with about 4,500 concrete segments manufactured locally at our factory in Cooma used to create 500 rings to line the first kilometre of the main access tunnel. In total, around 130,500 segments will be produced for the Snowy 2.0 tunnels.

“We are also getting ready to launch our second TBM, named Kirsten, with our principal contractor, Future Generation Joint Venture.

“The progress being made by the project’s growing 1,400-strong workforce is particularly noteworthy given the very difficult scenarios we’ve faced as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic restrictions and bushfire impacts over the last year and a half.

“It’s particularly good to see the training and upskilling opportunities Snowy 2.0 is providing, creating lots of apprenticeships and giving local people the chance to work on the TBMs.”

There are three Snowy 2.0 TBMs, which will collectively tunnel more than 27km between Tantangara and Talbingo reservoirs. A power station with pumping capabilities will be located more than 800m below ground.

Snowy 2.o’s 2,000 megawatts of pumping and generating capacity and 350,000 megawatt hours of storage will underpin thousands of megawatts of intermittent renewables.

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.