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.

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