News

TUMUT 3 POWER STATION OPEN DAY – REGISTER NOW

04/10/2022

It’s Tumut 3 Power Station’s 50th birthday and to mark the occasion, Snowy Hydro is celebrating with a community open day on Saturday 5 November!

We have a wide range of activities, tours and information sessions planned onsite at Tumut 3 (T3) in Talbingo, so register now – it’s easy, just visit our website and complete the online form.

Acting Snowy Hydro CEO Roger Whitby said the iconic white penstocks of T3 were known throughout Australia and a visit to the station would provide the public with an insight into Snowy Hydro’s operations.

“We are delighted to welcome the community to an open day at T3, which is the largest power station in the Snowy Scheme and the first and biggest pumped-hydro facility in Australia,” Mr Whitby said.

“We’re celebrating the station’s 50th birthday, which underlines the longevity and critical nature of the Snowy Scheme hydro generation and storage assets.

“We understand visiting T3 would be a major highlight for many people so we’re asking that everyone who intends to come along on Saturday 5 November registers online.

“They will be contacted with important information prior to the event.”

Once you have registered for the Tumut 3 Power Station 50th celebration and open day, please plan your trip, as parking for private vehicles will be limited. There will also be bus transport available, with coaches departing from Tumut and Cooma on the day.

Open day highlights:

Tours of Tumut 3 Power Station
Bus tours to Talbingo Reservoir and the top of Tumut 3 penstocks.
Fun and educational activities hosted by the Snowy Hydro Next Generation education program.
Local vendors will provide food and coffee throughout the festivities.
A range of activities and entertainment are also planned for the celebrations.

Keep checking the official event web page, which will be progressively updated with information and stay tuned to Snowy Hydro’s social media channels.

News

LAKE JINDABYNE RELEASES

30/09/2022

High inflows to the Snowy Scheme, including the Jindabyne catchment, have been experienced since November 2021 and are continuing due to the spring snowmelt and wetter than usual weather conditions.

Based on operational forecasts, if left unmitigated, Lake Jindabyne would reach full supply level (100%) and commence spilling. To avoid uncontrolled spill, Snowy Hydro has reached agreement with NSW Department of Planning and Environment (DPE Water) to make pre-releases into the Snowy River below Jindabyne Dam from 1am Tuesday 4 October 2022.

Pre-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 5,000 megalitres per day.

Snowy Hydro will continue to pump water from Jindabyne to Geehi Reservoir to be released through Murray 1 and 2 power stations into the upper Murray River at every opportunity.

Water transfers from the Geehi catchment into Jindabyne may also be necessary at times to manage flood risks in the Geehi, Swampy Plains and Upper Murray Rivers. 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 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-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

SNOWY HYDRO COMMUNITY GRANTS ROUND 2 – APPLY NOW!

09/09/2022

Do you have a project, activity or event that benefits the local communities of the Snowy Mountains and surrounds? You may be eligible for a Snowy Hydro community grant of up to $10,000.

Snowy Hydro is a long-time major supporter of local people and community initiatives, with the 2022 community grants program now open for round 2 applications.

Snowy Hydro Acting CEO Roger Whitby said the company was pleased to provide grant funding opportunities to local not-for-profit organisations.

“We are proud to be a part of our local communities and want to support the great ideas and energy of people contributing positively to them.

“Our grants are available for projects and events that align with Snowy Hydro’s four social commitment pillars of education and development, health and wellbeing, regional capacity building and environment.”

In the first round of Snowy Hydro’s Community Grants Program earlier this year, there were more than 30 grant applications, with 13 receiving funding. Projects and initiatives that were supported included a Cooma Landcare rehabilitation project, establishment of an indigenous interpretive walking trail in Tumbarumba, and the Hume & Hovell ultra marathon event through Corryong and Khancoban.

Mr Whitby encouraged community members to find out more about the community grants program. “If you have an event or initiative that may be eligible for support, I encourage you to apply,” he said.

All applications must be received via the online form on our website. Please also carefully review associated information about grants eligibility, assessment criteria and Snowy Hydro’s grant guidelines before applying, to avoid disappointment.

Importantly, the location of the event/initiative must be within the Snowy Monaro Regional and Snowy Valleys council areas, or in Corryong, Victoria.

Applications for round 2 of the Snowy Hydro Community Grants Program must be received by Saturday 15 October. Following the evaluation period, applicants will be advised of the outcome by 30 November 2022.

News

STATEMENT ON SNOWY HYDRO’S LEADERSHIP

26/08/2022

Paul Broad, Managing Director and CEO of Snowy Hydro, has offered his resignation.

For more than 70 years Snowy Hydro’s success has been founded on strong and stable leadership. Paul Broad is no exception to that rule.

Since 2013, Paul has led organisational expansion and innovation, transforming Snowy Hydro into a dynamic and integrated energy business.

Externally Paul is best known by the Australian public for his leadership on Snowy 2.0 and leading Snowy Hydro’s expansion into retail and renewable energy.

Snowy 2.0 is a nation-defining and world-leading infrastructure project. It will underpin the transition to a decarbonised National Electricity Market and now employs more than 2,000 people, generating huge economic uplift in the Snowy Mountains.

Under Paul’s leadership, the first Snowy Hydro renewable energy procurement program began in 2018 and has grown to encompass 12 contracts with wind and solar projects totalling 1.3 gigawatts of energy generation.

For the local community and Snowy Hydro team, Paul will remain best-known for his extraordinary leadership during incredibly challenging periods, including the 2019/2020 bushfires and the COVID-19 pandemic.

Paul’s firm commitment to the safety, health and well-being of the Snowy Hydro family will remain a cornerstone of his legacy.

The Snowy Board will now commence a process to identify new leadership. Roger Whitby, Chief Operating Officer, will lead the organisation on an interim basis, with support from Paul to facilitate a smooth transition.

News

MILESTONE FOR LOCAL SNOWY 2.0 CONCRETE SEGMENT FACTORY

09/08/2022

Snowy Hydro’s Snowy 2.0 precast factory in Cooma has achieved an impressive milestone, with manufacturing completed for all concrete segments that will line the dry access tunnels.

More than 25,000 of these seven-tonne segments have been produced at the Polo Flat factory, which employs 120 people from the 2,100-strong Snowy 2.0 workforce. The segments are being used to line the main access tunnel and emergency, cable and ventilation tunnel at Lobs Hole.

In total, 36,000 or 27% of the 130,000-plus segments needed to line all of the Snowy 2.0 tunnels have now come off the Polo Flat production line, said Paul Broad, Snowy Hydro’s Managing Director and CEO.

“We’re proud to be manufacturing and investing locally, and providing employment opportunities for local people as well,” Mr Broad said. “The precast factory is operated by our principal contractor Future Generation Joint Venture and it is powering along.

“To efficiently and safely produce enough of these massive concrete segments to line the 5.6 kilometres of dry access tunnels is a terrific achievement.”

The factory supports the operation of the three Snowy 2.0 tunnel boring machines, which are excavating 27 kilometres of tunnels from Tantangara Reservoir to Talbingo Reservoir for the Snowy 2.0 pumped-hydro expansion of the Snowy Scheme.

The Polo Flat facility includes a concrete batching plant and segment manufacturing from two automated carousels, producing up to 24 rings, each one made of nine segments, per day.

Many of the raw materials like aggregates and sand are sourced from the local Schmidt Quarries at Mt Mary and Nimmitabel, which is reducing transport time and costs. Concrete is mixed within the batching plant, which is then transferred into the factory and poured into specially-designed moulds.

With the use of innovative robotics, the moulds progress along the carousel as the segments cure and finish. There is an onsite laboratory and testing to check the quality of every segment produced.

Snowy 2.0 is leading the way in Australia to successfully deploy and use robots to automate the process of demoulding, cleaning and application of the release agent on the moulds, before pushing them through to the next production stage. This has allowed the factory to maintain a safe and low-noise working environment for workers.

It takes approximately eight to 10 hours to cure and de-mould each segment from start to finish, then they are stored for about two weeks before being transported to site, loaded into TBMs and installed in the tunnels.

FAST FACTS – DRY TUNNEL SEGMENTS

Number produced = 25,210
Distance if all these segments were placed side-by-side = 86.3 kilometres
Tonnes of concrete used = 151,260
Equivalent rings (nine segments per ring) = 2,802
These segments – designed to provide durability under extreme fire loads – have been laboratory tested for fire loads of 1,350 degrees Celsius for up to 120 minutes.

Snowy 2.0 project background: 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.

Snowy 2.0 will link two existing Snowy Scheme reservoirs, Tantangara and Talbingo, and its new power station with six pump-turbines will be 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 renewable energy in the grid, so Snowy 2.0 is ready to meet demand when needed.

News

SNOWY HYDRO SNOW DEPTH MEASUREMENT 2022

17/06/2022

Snowy Hydro collects snow depth readings at a number of designated snow courses across the Snowy Mountains of NSW as required for operational purposes. Spencer’s Creek snow course is the most recognisable of these locations as it is often cited by nearby ski resorts as a proxy for the ‘natural snow depth’. Deep Creek and Three Mile Dam are also recorded and reported on Snowy Hydro’s website.

The information gathered by Snowy Hydro is primarily used as an input into seasonal forecasts for inflow to the Snowy Scheme. With advances in technology and different methodologies employed, the need for manually measured snow depth readings at designated snow courses is in decline, particularly in the early part of the snow season where precipitation is typically adding to the snow pack more so than contributing to inflows.

In parallel, safety is Snowy Hydro’s number one priority. By reducing the frequency of snow depth readings, we reduce the need to send staff to remote locations in poor winter weather conditions. This means we can schedule this work to occur when conditions are safest to do so.

Snowy Hydro commenced monitoring in mid-June 2022. We will take readings on an as-needed basis. This is likely to result in irregular updates, and less frequently than has been observed in the past. Snowy Hydro will continue to update its website after each snow depth reading is collected.

News

DRIVING HOME ROAD SAFETY TO THE NEXT GENERATION

13/05/2022

Snowy Hydro is committed to ensuring the next generation of locals are equipped with the skills and knowledge to help keep them safe on the roads, with the long-running Young Driver Program playing a crucial role.

For four years Snowy Hydro has partnered with Driving Solutions to provide local students with young driver training. This month more than 275 local young people participated in the program, which helps prepare Learner and Provisional drivers for the driving conditions they face on Snowy Mountains roads.

Since its inception in 2002, the Snowy Hydro Young Driver Program has provided more than 1,600 local students with the opportunity to improve their driving skills and become safer drivers.

Snowy Hydro CEO and Managing Director Paul Broad said the program demonstrated Snowy Hydro’s continued commitment to the safety and well-being of young people living in the Snowy Mountains region.

“The Snowy Hydro Young Driver Program delivers learning exercises and activities that give our local kids the skills and knowledge to help keep them safe on our unique and at times, challenging, mountain roads,” Mr Broad said.

“These young and inexperienced drivers gain so much from the program – it’s really valuable and we at Snowy Hydro are proud to play a part in ensuring greater safety on the roads where we live and work.”

The program covered topics such as correct seating position and the importance of understanding the difference between vehicles with anti-lock brake systems (ABS) and vehicles without ABS. Students were taught when to fit snow chains on their vehicles while travelling in snow and ice conditions. They were also shown the correct way to use and fit snow chains on a vehicle.
The activities and exercises provided useful and practical knowledge to assist the students when behind the wheel. Topics included driver attitudes and the effects of distractions when driving, such as mobile phones, passengers and vehicle navigation. Other practical skills were also discussed including how to understand correct and incorrect tyre pressure on their vehicles.

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 POWERING AHEAD WITH COMMISSIONING OF TUNNEL BORING MACHINE FLORENCE

22/03/2022

Snowy Hydro and members of the local community have today come together to celebrate the commissioning of the third and final tunnel boring machine (TBM) for Snowy 2.0, Australia’s largest renewable energy project.

The 143 metre-long TBM Florence is one of a trio of technologically-advanced machines excavating more than 27 kilometres of waterway tunnels as part of Snowy 2.0, the huge pumped-hydro expansion of the iconic Snowy Mountains Scheme that is ensuring Australia’s secure and reliable transition to renewables.

Snowy Hydro Managing Director and CEO Paul Broad joined Snowy Mountains community members and representatives from Snowy 2.0 principal contractor Future Generation Joint Venture for a celebration event and ribbon-cutting at Tantangara, where TBM Florence is being launched to excavate the headrace tunnel.

Mr Broad said it was a wonderful experience sharing a significant project milestone with the community, former Snowy Scheme workers and local school children and businesses.

“We want to thank the local community for their support. It’s great knowing that this massive project is delivering thousands of jobs, many training and apprenticeship opportunities for workers, and a major economic boost for the Snowy Mountains region and beyond,” Mr Broad said.

“The progress we’re making on Snowy 2.0 is terrific. The other two TBMs, Lady Eileen Hudson and Kirsten, are already powering ahead excavating the main access tunnel and emergency, cable and ventilation tunnel at Lobs Hole, so we’re delighted to be starting this very long and deep headrace tunnel from Tantangara.

“Watching TBM Florence’s big blue cutterhead spin today alongside people who helped build the original Scheme highlights the pride we at Snowy Hydro have in our pioneering past and how exciting the renewable energy future is with Snowy 2.0.”

There are almost 1,800 people currently working on Snowy 2.0, including hundreds of locals, with the project generating about 4,000 direct jobs and many more in the supply chain.

Snowy 2.0 will deliver 2,000 megawatts of pumping and generating capacity and 175 hours of storage – enough to power 500,000 homes simultaneously – which will underpin thousands of megawatts of intermittent renewables.

Named after Australia’s first female electrical engineer, Florence Violet McKenzie (1890-1982), TBM Florence is set to excavate 14.9 kilometres of the 17km headrace tunnel. The 11-metre diameter Herrenknecht-designed machine has been purposely designed to manage hazardous dust and poor ground conditions while tunnelling up to 450 metres underground.

TBM Florence was named by local Berridale student Riley Douch as part of the Snowy 2.0 Tunnel Boring Machine Naming Competition, which highlighted ground-breaking Australian women in science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM).
For more information about Snowy 2.0 visit snowyhydro.com.au

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.