News

LOCAL TRAINEES HIT THE GROUND RUNNING

29/01/2021

Snowy Hydro is buzzing with fresh energy and new faces after welcoming the 2021 trainee intake.

As part of its commitment to providing employment opportunities, skills training and insight into STEM careers for local young people, Snowy Hydro annually offers 12-month, paid traineeships to school-leavers from the local area.

This year, 12 trainees have taken up positions in a range of business areas including information technology, energy generation and asset management, communications, human resources, finance, community relations, Snowy 2.0 and procurement. Ten are based in Cooma and two of the trainees are regionally based, with one in Khancoban and the other in Talbingo.

Snowy Hydro CEO Paul Broad said the highly-successful traineeship program was in its 30th year.

“Snowy has been giving local young people a start in their careers since 1991 – literally hundreds of trainees have gained on-the-job experience with us while combining business administration studies at TAFE.

“We’re very proud to support local people and our communities and also to offer opportunities that focus on training and development. This helps make sure our company has the people and skills that are needed now and into the future,” Mr Broad said.

Some of the new trainees are second and third generation Snowy employees. Talbingo-based trainee Aylah Rice’s grandfather was a diesel mechanic who helped build the Snowy Scheme. A 2020 trainee, Ian Grant, has just embarked on an electrical apprenticeship with Snowy Hydro based at Talbingo, while his father Martin is a Snowy Hydro Maintenance Manager at Jindabyne.

A number of the trainees are planning to go to university to study engineering. The Snowy Hydro traineeship provides participants with the opportunity to apply for a cadetship, in which the company sponsors students to study at the University of Wollongong.

“We see the traineeship program as a valuable pathway young people can take as they embark on their working lives and we encourage them to explore study opportunities in the fields of science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM),” Mr Broad said.

“There are so many talented young people living in this region and we see them as our next generation of Snowy Hydro engineers, scientists, and information technology experts.”

Applications for 2022 Snowy Hydro traineeships will open in Term 2 – keep an eye on the Snowy Hydro website and social media channels for more information.

News

SNOWY 2.0 MAIN WORKS TO DRIVE JOBS AND INVESTMENT

28/08/2020

Snowy 2.0 today achieved another significant milestone with the Federal Government’s approval for the project’s main works construction.

The Snowy 2.0 pumped-hydro project is a major expansion of the Snowy Scheme, linking two existing dams, Tantangara and Talbingo, through 27km of tunnels and building an underground power station.

The approval today allows construction to commence on the underground power station, waterways and access tunnels, and other supporting infrastructure.

It follows on from exploratory works, which got underway in 2019 and has included constructing site access roads, establishing a construction compound and excavating an exploratory tunnel.

“This approval marks the next stage in Snowy 2.0’s construction and brings our vision to become Australia’s biggest battery and storage for renewable energy one step closer,” Snowy Hydro’s CEO Paul Broad said.

“It’s full steam ahead for the Snowy 2.0 project that will pave the way for Australia’s energy transition.

“It also unlocks billions of dollars of investment that will create thousands of jobs over the life of the project and provide a much-needed boost to the local and regional economy, which has been hit by drought, bushfires and COVID-19.

“Snowy 2.0 is already playing a major part in kick-starting the local economy, with more than 100 local businesses involved and more than $35 million spent in the Snowy Mountains region.

“On completion of the project in 2026, it will provide 2,000 megawatts of new peaking power and firming capacity that will provide clean and reliable energy to millions of Australians.”

News

Snowy Hydro Appoints Chief Operating Officer

02/02/2016

Longstanding Snowy Hydro Limited executive, Roger Whitby, has been appointed Chief Operating Officer and mining executive John McGagh will join Snowy Hydro as the company’s inaugural Chief Digital Officer.

The Executive team appointments are in response to the retirements of current COO Ken Lister and Executive Officer, Information and Control Systems, Ian Cooke, who have both dedicated decades of their lives to Snowy Hydro.

Currently Executive Officer – Trading, Roger Whitby has extensive engineering and trading experience, marrying market experience with technical expertise and in-depth knowledge of Snowy Hydro’s unique operations.

“Roger is one of Snowy Hydro’s most accomplished Executives,” CEO Paul Broad said.

“His appointment as COO will bring together Snowy Hydro’s trading, water, environment and operations team to form a seamless link between the water under our management, our portfolio of generation assets and the National Electricity Market.

“Roger will oversee not only the operation, maintenance and capability of the iconic 4100 megawatt Snowy Scheme assets but also our three gas fired power stations – Laverton North (320MW) and Valley Power (300 MW) in Victoria and Colongra (667MW) in New South Wales – as well as our diesel peak generators in South Australia.

“The nature and geographical location of our portfolio of assets gives Snowy Hydro its competitive edge and I am confident in Roger’s ability to drive further improvements in our asset capability, responsiveness and reliability.”

Commencing in March 2016, experienced mining executive John McGagh will join the Snowy Hydro Executive team in the position of Chief Digital Officer. John has spent the past 30 years in a range of roles at Rio Tinto, the most recent of which was as Head of Innovation.

“He comes to Snowy with a global track record in technology and has been at the forefront of innovation in the mining sector particularly in big data and robotics,” Mr Broad said.

“John is a change agent and has runs on the board in terms of improving business performance with technology and innovation by building partnerships with the private sector and academia.

“I am excited to hear John’s vision and ambitions for our systems, processes and assets and how we can get more out of our business by further embracing change, automation and technology. John’s leadership and strategic skills will also be a welcome addition to the Snowy Hydro executive team.

“I pay tribute to both Ken Lister and Ian Cooke who have dedicated their lives and careers to Snowy Hydro, our iconic assets and our people. Along with Roger, Ken and Ian were part of the team that brought together the trading and generation companies to form Snowy Hydro Limited in the early 2000s.

“Ken and Ian are both recognised leaders in the Snowy Mountains community and I have no doubt they will continue to be strong contributors in the Cooma region.”