News

SNOWY SUPPORTS ROAD SAFETY, TOURISM BOOST FOR ADAMINABY

13/04/2026

Six new 30-metre parking bays in Adaminaby are now complete, marking a significant win for road safety and local tourism.

A collaborative effort between Snowy Hydro and Snowy Monaro Regional Council, with state and federal government funding, the dedicated areas allow drivers to take advantage of the town’s amenities while enjoying rest and meal breaks.

Snowy Hydro Head of Social Impact and Community Sarah Norris said these bays provided a perfect stopover opportunity for Snowy 2.0 workers, Kosciuszko National Park visitors, fishing and winter snow sport enthusiasts alike.

“We all know that with winter approaching, it’s best to take it slow in ice and snow while driving in the region,” she said.

“These bays are crucial for not only our workforce and sub-contractors but the wider community – and it’s an initiative that we were delighted to support.”

Ms Norris said Snowy 2.0 had injected more than $20 million into Adaminaby’s economy since kicking off in 2017.

Ms Norris said Snowy had also invested more than $70,000 to support year-round tourism and local events alone in the town through its Community Grants Program and the Snowy STEM Academy Fund.

Adaminaby Public School: Updated sports oval equipment and Local School STEM fund ($19,072)
Adaminaby Community Action Group: Development of a concept design for Seymour Park ($9,999)
Adaminaby Jockey Club: Support for annual Adaminaby Races ($20,000 since 2023)
Snowy Scheme Museum collection ($12,524 – including 75th anniversary grant)
Lake Eucumbene Chamber of Commerce: Upgrade to the Adaminaby information display to enhance visitor experience ($10,200).

“We fully recognise the pivotal role this town, its infrastructure and its people have played in the Snowy story since the original Scheme’s first blast in 1949,” she said.

“This community remains important to our operations today and will continue to do so well into the future as we deliver Australia’s largest renewable energy project.”

News

EDEN BECOMES VITAL GATEWAY AS SNOWY 2.0 HITS NEW PHASE

17/03/2026

Eden will become a vital new gateway for Australia’s biggest renewable energy project as Snowy 2.0 enters its next major construction phase.

With construction now more than 71 per cent complete, the Port of Eden’s navy wharf facilities will provide deepwater access needed to transport materials from sea to remote sites in the Snowy Mountains.

The port will soon handle massive steel sections for the project’s pressure waterways, which direct water into six turbines housed in an 850-metre deep underground power station at Lobs Hole.

Once completed, these components will play an integral role in the generation of on-demand renewable power and long-duration energy storage Australia needs to reach net zero by 2050.

The materials would be transferred through Bombala, Dalgety and Berridale on proposed truck routes.

Large loads (over 4 metres) would be trucked overnight under pilot and police escorts, depending on size, while smaller loads would be transferred during daytime hours.

Snowy 2.0 Chief Delivery Officer Dave Evans said the transfer of hydropower kit was both a detailed and well-planned logistical undertaking.

“Eden will soon provide a new and vital link for us to move important components from sea to our sites in the Snowy Mountains in addition to the project engaging 27 local businesses on the project,” he said.

“While there will be an increase in heavy vehicle movements through the region, we’ve worked closely with authorities to ensure this equipment is transported safely on designated routes.”

For the latest traffic information, visit the project’s traffic webpage or call the 24/7 project information line at 1800 766 992.

News

MONICA MAKES HER MARK ON SNOWY 2.0

01/02/2026

Snowy 2.0 has reached a major milestone with the commissioning of its fourth tunnel boring machine, with the renewable energy mega-project now more than 70 per cent complete.

Named in honour of Monica Brimmer, a talented Tumut High School student and winner of a First Nations art and storytelling competition, the machine was powered up during a ceremony on-site.

Joined by Climate Change and Energy Minister Chris Bowen on-site, Monica radioed in instructions for the first rotation of the TBM’s huge 12-metre cutterhead to applause from local community members and workers in attendance.

TBM Monica is among the world’s most advanced tunnel boring machines. It has been purpose-built to tackle the Snowy Mountains’ unique and highly variable geological conditions.

Launching from the project’s Marica worksite, just outside Kiandra, TBM Monica will begin tunnelling in the coming weeks and will excavate the portion of the 17-kilometre headrace tunnel that passes through the geologically challenging Long Plain Fault Zone.

The commissioning milestone comes as significant progress is made across the project’s worksites in the NSW Snowy Mountains.

Almost one kilometre underground at the project’s Lobs Hole worksite, the focus is shifting from tunnelling and excavation to preparing the intricate fitout of an complex underground power plant the size of Sydney Opera House.

To prepare for this, 46 permanent concrete pours have already been completed.

More than 733,000m3 of underground excavation – equivalent to 293 Olympic-sized swimming pools of material – has taken place in the huge subterranean caverns that were created using drill-and-blast techniques, some of which were pioneered on the original Snowy Scheme.

More than 5,200 workers are delivering Snowy 2.0 across four major project workfronts and in excess of $300 million has been invested in the local economy.

News

FROM HERITAGE TO HI-TECH MACHINERY

28/01/2026

Australia’s largest renewable energy project has received the seal of approval from an international tunnelling giant and Germany’s top diplomat in Australia.

Tunnelling pioneer Martin Herrenknecht and German ambassador Beate Grzeski enjoyed a quintessentially classic Australian flat white at the Snowy Hydro Discovery Centre in Cooma and toured the Snowy 2.0 Marica worksite, outside Kiandra.

Herrenknecht is touring major tunnelling projects across Australia and New Zealand with a special focus on Snowy 2.0’s fourth TBM, known as Monica.

The world’s pre-eminent TBM manufacturer says Monica is among the most complex machines the company has engineered worldwide.

Mrs Grzeski said the connection between Australia and Germany extended beyond modern machinery.

Snowy 2.0 deputy project director Mark Fox, German ambassador to Australia Beate Grzeski, Herrenknecht founder Martin Herrenknecht and Herrenknecht Australia managing director Charles Howarth and Snowy 2.0 engineering manager Jonathan Carroll.

“Australia wants to become a renewable energy superpower and this pryeah ooject is a big part of those ambitions,” she said.

“There’s actually quite a strong link between Germany and Snowy.

“Lots of Germans worked on the original Scheme and now we’ve got Herrenknecht TBMs that are part of that story.”

For Dr Herrenknecht, the size and scale of Snowy 2.0 continues to resonate on the global stage.

“I’m always quite impressed when I come to Snowy,” he said.

“It’s a great project, lots of people talk about Snowy 2.0 internationally.

“It’s a green energy project, that’s quite great, and one I’m quite proud to be part of.”

News

HYDRO EXPERTS COLLABORATE, SHARE CHALLENGES

27/10/2025

The best and brightest minds in hydropower have visited Australia’s largest renewable energy project and explored the clean energy transition, as part of a major industry event hosted by Snowy Hydro.

The Hydro Power Engineering Exchange (HPEE) welcomed more than 110 experts from Australia, New Zealand, Malaysia and Canada to connect, share knowledge and technical presentations on their operations, maintenance and projects.

Essentially an asset-based engineering forum for technical staff, the biennial event first took place in 1990 as a joint initiative between the Snowy Mountains Authority (now Snowy Hydro), the Electricity Corporation of New Zealand and the Hydro Electric Commission of Tasmania (now Hydro Tasmania) and other Australian hydropower authorities.

This time around, three jam-packed days of conferences took place at QT Canberra from October 19-23 2025 sandwiched between a Snowy 2.0 site tour.

Snowy Hydro event convenor Jan de Groote described the exchange as “steeped in history and tradition” and unparalleled across the world.

“The networking opportunity for hydropower engineers results in an extremely knowledgeable peer network and long lasting engineering relationships between all participants.”

Snowy 2.0 Engineering and Quality General Manager Damon Miller said attendees were enthusiastic to see the successor to the Snowy Scheme up close.

“It’s always great to catch-up with colleagues to collectively discuss the challenges and opportunities associated with designing and building a new pumped hydropower project,” he said.

News

BIG RIG DRAWS BIG CROWD

14/10/2025

More than 1500 people converged on Cooma on Sunday, October 12 to welcome the latest Snowy 2.0 big rig – one of the largest traffic loads ever transported in NSW.

The main drive of TBM Monica – an integral component of the project’s fourth mega borer – drew an excited crowd of onlookers to Cooma town centre.

Spectators also flanked driveways and homes between Bredbo and Adaminaby to catch a glimpse of the big rig.

The convoy tipped the scales at a mammoth weight of more than 450 tonnes – across five trucks and a trailer, driven by 210 wheels across 35 separate axles.

Snowy Hydro Head of Social Impact and Community Sarah Norris described the transfer as a major milestone for both the project and the community.

“We were blown away by the attendance – it was a truly special evening, with an incredible atmosphere, as people lined the footpaths for the best vantage point to watch,” she said.

“It almost felt like a festival was taking place – we had free hot choccies and coffees and talented musician Leon Fallon on-hand to keep the crowd entertained

“Thanks to everyone who attended, we appreciate there were quite a few little people that stayed up past their bedtimes to witness a little piece of Snowy history.”

The mega transfer evoked memories for some community members of the mighty Thornycroft Antars hauling machinery and construction equipment through Cooma as part of the original Snowy Scheme decades ago.

There are 23 oversize loads being carefully planned and transported to Snowy 2.0 sites over the coming weeks associated with the assembly of TBM Monica.

News

COST REASSESSMENT UNDERWAY FOR ON-SCHEDULE SNOWY 2.0

03/10/2025

Snowy Hydro has directed Snowy 2.0 principal contractor Future Generation Joint Venture (FGJV) to undertake a comprehensive line-by-line reassessment of its costs to deliver Snowy 2.0, as the project’s delivery remains set for its December 2028 completion.

At 67 percent complete, Snowy Hydro believes material cost pressures mean now is the time to oversee FGJV as it carries out the cost reassessment which is expected to take up to nine months to complete. Independent construction cost experts have been engaged to verify the principal contractor’s reassessment.

Snowy Hydro CEO Dennis Barnes said Snowy 2.0 has made good progress since the 2023 project reset. Delivery rates have almost doubled in the past two years, with the average monthly progress of 0.57 percent increasing to 0.91 percent, and August 2025 hitting 0.98 percent delivery. This is despite pressures that reflect cost and productivity challenges currently being experienced across countless major infrastructure projects.

“Since the reset, the project has generally been progressing well and is now 67 percent complete,” said Mr Barnes.

“Despite disruption, including work stoppages due to safety concerns and continuing challenges with geology, we’ve been able to recover that time and get us to where we need to be in terms of schedule.

“The reset was about getting Snowy 2.0 moving again by creating a more collaborative relationship with the principal contractor and achieving safe progress. We’ve done both, but the productivity uplift hasn’t been to the degree we needed.”

Some of the most significant sources of cost pressure for Snowy 2.0 since the reset include:

Costs associated with contractor productivity targets not realised: While the 2023 reset succeeded in substantially increasing productivity, there remain challenges. This is due to a combination of factors, including delays from TBM stoppages in 2024, work stoppages associated with safety concerns and general productivity underperformance. Our reassessment will examine past productivity performance and our future productivity requirements.
Costs of de-risking challenging geology no longer being able to be absorbed: A fourth TBM will be used to derisk challenging geological conditions through the Long Plain Fault Zone and help protect the project’s schedule. The initial assessment was that the cost to purchase, deploy and operate would be covered within the project costs, however cost pressures have meant this is no longer possible.
Supply chain cost increases: Our contractor has identified unforeseen supply chain cost increases to significant, bespoke procurement, including major offshore purchases associated with Snowy 2.0’s underground power station.

Mr Barnes said while the need to reassess Snowy 2.0’s cost is disappointing, the critical importance of the project to electricity users across the network has not changed.

“Snowy 2.0 will be a cornerstone of Australia’s transition to renewable energy, providing more than half of the long-duration storage the grid needs by 2050.

“It will enable the introduction of more wind and solar by acting like a giant battery, storing and delivering enough excess energy to power around 3 million homes for a week.

“Snowy 2.0 is being built to operate for 150 years. It is as important to Australia now as the original Snowy Scheme was decades ago.

“Like the original scheme, which still helps underpin electricity reliability today, the benefits of Snowy 2.0 will be felt for generations.”

News

TBM MONICA ON THE MOVE

03/10/2025

What weighs more than 137 tonnes, is seven metres wide and is transported by 152 wheels?

An integral piece of Snowy 2.0’s new tunnel boring machine’s cutterhead!

TBM Monica’s centre cutterhead piece was transported through Cooma last Wednesday night en-route to the Marica worksite north of Kiandra.

At 73 metres long, the transfer was a sight to behold as it travelled up Sharp Street bound for the final leg of its journey on the Snowy Mountains Highway.

Snowy Hydro Chief Delivery Officer – Snowy 2.0 Dave Evans said the smooth transfer was the result of months of hard work and planning.

“It’s an amazing sight to watch the huge pieces of our tunnel boring machine travel through Cooma and up to our remote Marica work site,” he said.

“It’s a credit to the project’s hard-working traffic and transport team that we’ve been able to complete this complex operation safely.”

The cutterhead – which is the main excavation tool of a TBM – is too large to move in one piece and has been split into five.

More than 140 big loads have been delivered to the Marica site from Port Kembla in recent weeks.

TBM Monica will become the project’s fourth active mega tunnelling machine, once it is assembled and commissioned in the coming months.

News

SNOWY 2.0 NAMES FOURTH TBM AFTER TUMUT STUDENT

10/09/2025

Monica’s artwork clinches Indigenous naming competition

The fourth mega tunnel boring machine on the Snowy 2.0 project will be named after a talented Tumut High School student who scooped top prize in an Indigenous art and storytelling competition.

Aspiring engineer Monica Brimmer, 15, wowed the judging panel with a stunning piece that reflected the spirit and purpose of Australia’s largest renewable energy project.

Inspired by flowing water, connected dams, mountains, energy, an underground power station and a connection to Country, Monica’s creation was awarded top marks in the competition, organised by Snowy Hydro in partnership with the Stars Foundation and Tumut High School.

Cheered on by her delighted schoolmates during a special school assembly, Monica said her artwork represented the creation of renewable energy and symbolised a “greener future in which the land and our animals are better cared for”.

“When my name was read out I felt nervous and surprised but also really proud. I had hoped to win the competition but I really didn’t expect it,” she said.

“Knowing there’s something really important to the project out there with my name, in the mountains, is really cool.

“I’ve been interested in engineering for quite a while – and it’s pretty cool to put art and engineering together as part of something I could put my mind to.”

Minister for Climate Change and Energy Chris Bowen said Snowy 2.0 is a nation-building project and it’s fitting its next tunnel boring machine will carry the name and vision of a young local student and future engineer.

“Monica’s artwork captures the spirit of clean energy and connection to Country and reflects the brighter, cleaner energy future we’re building together,” he said.

“It’s inspiring to see the next generation in Tumut leading the way on creativity for Australia’s clean energy transformation.”

Snowy Hydro Chief Delivery Officer – Snowy 2.0 Dave Evans said the winning artwork perfectly encapsulated the project’s role in underpinning Australia’s clean energy future.

“Monica’s artwork and the story behind it blew all the judges away,” he said.

“The lightbulb shines bright and displays the power that we’re going to generate for the east coast of Australia through Snowy 2.0’s huge 2200MW capacity.

“It also perfectly highlights our workforce who are almost 1 kilometre deep underground in the Snowy Mountains building one of the world’s biggest power stations.”

Tumut High School principal Brad Taylor said the calibre of entrants was “exceptional”.

“Monica is a highly academic student, and someone that we’re very proud of at the school, so I’m not surprised she’s produced such thoughtful artwork,” he said.

Stars Foundation program coordinator Nioka Marlowe said the competition showcased students’ talents and storytelling skills.

“This made clear to these young Indigenous girls that they’re important – and they’re seen – and gave them an opportunity to be on the big stage,” she said.

The TBM will shortly begin its assembly at the Marica work site, located on the Snowy Mountains Highway near Yarrangobilly Caves, ahead of tunnelling starting in late 2025.

Julie and Monica Brimmer celebrate winning the TBM4 naming competition.

News

SNOWY 2.0 POWERING OUR FUTURE-READY WORKFORCE

28/07/2025

Beyond building one of the most complex and challenging feats of engineering in the world, through its pumped hydro expansion to the iconic Snowy Scheme, Snowy 2.0 is also leaving a skills legacy.

Eight Year 12 students at Monaro High School have become the first NSW cohort to complete a school-based apprenticeship and traineeship (SBAT) program in supply chain operations, all while working on Australia’s largest renewable energy project.

The Cooma students spent one day a week gaining real-world insights and skills at the Polo Flat segment factory, serving as strong foundation for their careers.

Snowy Hydro CEO Dennis Barnes said the project would create a lasting skills legacy while securing Australia’s clean energy future.

“We are incredibly proud to empower local students by offering career-defining opportunities close to home on this once-in-a-generation project,” he said.

Monaro High School principal James Armitage said students embraced the opportunity to step into the workforce while still attending school.

“This SBAT partnership has shown how powerful it is when education and industry come together with a shared goal of supporting young people into meaningful careers,” he said.

News

FUNDING BOOST FOR ENDANGERED MACQUARIE PERCH

24/07/2025

Snowy Hydro has partnered with the NSW Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development to expand captive breeding of the endangered Macquarie perch.

Through the Snowy 2.0 Threatened Fish Management Plan, Snowy Hydro has funded the construction of eight new purpose-built aquaculture ponds at Narrandera Fisheries Centre.

This funding will allow for the reintroduction of the species into protected habitats and boost genetic diversity in locations including in the upper Murrumbidgee River below Tantangara reservoir.

Snowy Hydro CEO Dennis Barnes said Snowy Hydro was committed to environmental stewardship while building Australia’s largest renewable energy project.

“We are pleased to work collaboratively with NSW DPIRD Fisheries to carry out the associated monitoring and research that will improve the resilience of Macquarie Perch in both the catchments where Snowy 2.0 will operate and also across the state,” Mr Barnes said.

“Beyond delivering positive environmental outcomes, Snowy 2.0, with a design life of 150 years, will underpin Australia’s clean energy future by storing excess wind and solar power and delivering it to homes and businesses across the grid when it’s needed most.”

News

FOURTH TUNNEL BORING MACHINE ON WAY FOR SNOWY 2.0

07/07/2025

Green light for TBM to begin journey to Australia

Snowy Hydro is now preparing for the arrival of its fourth tunnel boring machine to join Snowy 2.0 – Australia’s largest renewable energy project.

This 178-metre long machine has been purpose-built to excavate a 5km tunnel through a complex geological area deep in the NSW Snowy Mountains, known as the long plain fault zone, that will eventually connect Tantangara reservoir with an underground power station built almost 1km underground.

The TBM has now passed factory acceptance testing at Herrenknecht’s Guangzhou factory in China, ensuring all its major systems (mechanical, electrical, control and hydraulics) are validated and the machine is ready to be shipped to Australia.

The pumped hydro expansion to the iconic Snowy Scheme, Snowy 2.0’s incredible scale and power will translate 2200MW of capacity to 350,000 MWh of energy, taking the excess electricity produced by wind and solar during the day and delivering it to provide stability to our energy grid when it’s needed most.

Snowy Hydro Chief Delivery Officer – Snowy 2.0 David Evans said the project would play a pivotal role in enabling Australia’s transition to clean energy.

“Snowy 2.0 is essentially a giant battery, providing long-duration storage for wind and solar power to complement the short-duration storage that batteries provide,” he said.

“The successful completion of factory acceptance testing is testament to months of meticulous design, rigorous testing, engineering excellence and collaboration.”