The most sacred day for tunnellers, miners and underground workers was marked by a poignant Snowy 2.0 ceremony on December 4.

Workers gathered to celebrate St Barbara’s Day at the Marica worksite, metres away from TBM Monica – the huge new boring machine being assembled on the project.

The patron saint day itself stretches back centuries and is a tunnelling institution across the globe.

Statues are typically installed and blessed at new tunnel entrances, providing luck and safety for underground workers.

Indeed, the practice of naming TBMs after females is also inspired by St Barbara.

St Patrick’s Cooma parish priest Fr Mark Croker explained the significance of the patron saint’s story during the blessing ceremony.

“The story of St Barbara shows us the power of faith, it shows us the power of courage,” he said.

“For miners, these values were vital in their daily work and they remain inspiring for all of us in those difficult times all of us face daily.”

Snowy Hydro Chief Delivery Officer – Snowy 2.0 Dave Evans said December 4 was a special day.

“St Barbara’s Day means a lot to me and to our workforce … and is a way of recognising that while tunnelling is really challenging work, it’s about talking about both our successes and safety,” he said.

“While tunnellers can come across at times as perhaps as gruff people and tough people, there’s a lot of superstitions that run deep, especially in tunnelling.”

Mr Evans said an incredible amount of work had taken place to prepare for the launch of the new “monster” 200-metre long TBM in the new year.

“This machine is extremely complicated – its parts are sourced from across the world all needing to be pulled apart and pieced back together here on a remote construction site,” he said.

The first ground has been broken on a Snowy Hydro-funded extension to a world-class trout breeding facility in the Snowy Mountains that will help safeguard the industry for years to come.

The NSW Department of Primary Industry and Regional Development has received $5 million to construct a new 462sqm building at Gaden Trout Hatchery to house state-of-the-art aquaculture systems.

Monaro MP Steve Whan, NSW Agriculture Minister Tara Moriarty and Snowy Hydro General Manager of Water, Environment and Lands Charlie Litchfield break ground at the new trout facility.

Snowy Hydro General Manager of Water, Environment and Lands Charlie Litchfield said the investment was a core part of the Snowy 2.0 Recreational Fishing Management Plan.

“While we’re not in the business of breeding fish at Snowy Hydro, our partnership with the NSW Government and the Monaro Acclimitisation Society is fundamentally important to ensure the recreational impacts of the project are effectively mitigated,” he said.

“We’re working hard to ensure we’ve got a lasting positive impact on recreational fishing in the Snowy lakes – and this collaboration is crucial.”

Gaden manager Mitch Elkins said additional units to control water temperature and filtration would significantly increase the facility’s capability to produce up to 20 tonnes of larger rainbow and brown trout annually.

“This collaboration with Snowy Hydro will not only ensure we produce bigger and better fish but it will also safeguard the trout industry for years to come,” he said.

Construction is scheduled to begin in the new year, following tender award, and is expected to be completed by the end of June 2026.