News

SNOWY HYDRO RELEASES 2024 SUSTAINABILITY REPORT

13/01/2025

Snowy Hydro has released its 2024 Sustainability Report, covering the progress the energy generator and retailer has made in areas such as environmental stewardship, social impact, and understanding and responding to its carbon emissions and climate risks.

Snowy Hydro CEO Dennis Barnes said the report reflects the company’s role in enabling Australia’s transition to renewable energy, while highlighting its progress and ambitions.

“At Snowy Hydro, we understand that sustainability goes beyond fulfilling our environmental commitments,” Mr Barnes said. 

“It’s about supporting our people, driving better diversity outcomes and making a positive difference to the communities we serve.

“The 2024 report shows the progress we are making and achievements we are proud of. While we recognise there is still more to do, this report serves as our roadmap, keeping us accountable and focused on delivering even better outcomes for stakeholders and the community in the future,” Mr Barnes said.

Mr Barnes also acknowledged Snowy Hydro’s responsibility as custodian of the water that flows through the Snowy Scheme, highlighting its role in balancing electricity network reliability, with the irrigation needs of farmers and other water users. 

Key sustainability achievements in the 2023/2024 financial year include:

  • Producing 3,937 GWh of renewable electricity from our hydro generation assets – enough energy to power around 600,000 homes for a year.
  • Growing our mass market retail brands business to 1.4 million customers, with a focus on delivering authentic, personal customer service.
  • Our retail brand Red Energy recognised with the Customer Satisfaction Award for the 14th year in a row
  • 7,958 students benefitting from Snowy STEM Academy programs
  • Keeping our people safe, reflected in our low Total Recordable Incident Frequency Rate (TRIFR) score
  • Delivering five events of 8-hour peak water flows from Jindabyne reservoir to improve the health of the Snowy River ecosystem
  • Maintaining outstanding reliability across our generation assets, with our hydro generators starting successfully 99.7 per cent of the time, and gas 98.5 per cent of the time, underpinning our ability to contribute to stable electricity supply
  • $557,000 spent through our community giving programs
  • Increasing the proportion of women in senior leadership roles
  • $320,000 of funding for Murray River rehabilitation work to maintain waterflow and prevent erosion 

Snowy Hydro is the third largest generator of electricity in Australia by capacity. We can generate 5,500 megawatts (MW) of electricity across eight hydroelectric power stations, three natural gas power stations, and four diesel power stations. 

Snowy 2.0 and the Hunter Power Project are set to deliver 2,860MW of additional capacity. This significant boost to the network’s capacity will make a meaningful difference to energy supply reliability, particularly on hot days in summer.

When these fast-start generating assets come online, they will enable further wind and solar generation that can displace more than 33 million tonnes of CO2-e per annum. 

This carbon emissions displacement would represent a 28 percent reduction in the National Electricity Market emissions from 2022 levels, and approximately 13 percent of Australia’s 2030 total emissions reduction target.

To learn more about Snowy Hydro’s sustainability journey and access the 2024 report, visit https://www.snowyhydro.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/Snowy-Hydro_2024-Sustainability-Report.pdf

News

FIND OUT MORE – SNOWY HYDRO COMMUNITY RESEARCH UPDATE

14/11/2024

Findings from Snowy Hydro’s 2024 Community Insights research have now been published, with opportunities for locals to attend in-person information sessions to ask questions and provide feedback.

The research campaign conducted earlier in the year invited all community members across south-eastern NSW to provide their opinions and experiences related to Snowy Hydro operations and the Snowy 2.0 project. 

Insights gathered from the survey will help shape Snowy Hydro’s approach to community engagement and commitment to supporting positive social outcomes, according to Chief Corporate Affairs Officer Scott MacKillop.

“We’re really grateful that people gave up their time to talk to us about how they see Snowy Hydro in the community and share their ideas,” he said.

“The research told us there is strong support for Snowy Hydro and the Snowy 2.0 project across the region. 

“There was also great feedback around how Snowy Hydro can continue to evolve the way it engages with local communities, which we are using to inform our approach going forward.

“The community also made it clear that there is a strong expectation that Snowy Hydro continues to have a positive impact on the region, particularly in terms of the legacy Snowy 2.0 leaves for the region after construction.

“We look forward to talking with you at the information sessions so you can ask questions and find out more about the recommendations being developed by the Snowy Hydro team.”

The Snowy Hydro community information sessions being held throughout the Snowy Mountains and surrounding areas will give community members a chance to hear about the research findings, ask questions and give us their feedback. 

The sessions will also include updates on regional water operations and Snowy 2.0 project construction progress, including plans for a fourth tunnel boring machine and milestones achieved at the Tantangara and Lobs Hole worksites.  

The Snowy Hydro Community Insights survey was open to individuals aged 18 and older from the Snowy Monaro, Snowy Valleys, Towong, Bega Valley and surrounding local government areas. A series of focus groups, one-on-one meetings, phone surveys and community pop-up stalls supported the online survey.

Research findings will be available on the Snowy Hydro website and at the community information sessions. Details below:

LOCATIONDATETIME
Talbingo Country Club18 November6pm – 7.30pm
Tumut Valmar Support Services19 November6pm – 7.30pm
Jindabyne Bowling Club21 November6pm – 7.30pm
Adaminaby School of Arts Hall26 November6pm – 7.30pm
Cooma Ex-Services Club27 November6pm – 7.30pm
Corryong Events Centre2 December6pm – 7.30pm
Khancoban Community Hall3 December5pm – 6.30pm
Bega Bowling Club9 December6pm – 7.30pm
Merimbula Twyford Hall10 December6pm – 7.30pm
News

LAKE JINDABYNE RELEASES – 16 December 2022

16/12/2022

High inflows to the Snowy Scheme, including the Jindabyne catchment, have been experienced for more than 12 months and are continuing due to the late snow falls and wetter than usual weather conditions.

Lake levels are approaching 100% and continue to rise, so Snowy Hydro has consulted with NSW Department of Planning and Environment (DPE Water) to make pre-releases into the Snowy River below Jindabyne Dam from 1am Saturday 17 December 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 are expected to remain below 2,000 megalitres per day, but could increase in response to further weather events.

If Lake Jindabyne reaches 100%, it will trigger the operation of the spillway gates. Dam safety is paramount, and the spillway gates will automatically release water whenever 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

IN THE SWIM AT TALBINGO RESERVOIR

16/11/2022

Snowy Hydro’s Talbingo Reservoir and its new swimming, picnic and boating facilities will be a focal point for the local community and visitors over summer.

Snowy’s acting CEO Roger Whitby, the Member for Wagga Wagga Dr Joe McGirr and Snowy Valleys Council Mayor Ian Chaffey recently had the opportunity to view the upgraded recreation area as part of the Tumut 3 Power Station 50th birthday celebrations.

The facilities include a safe swimming beach with improved pedestrian access and car parking, a large picnic shelter, grassed areas, a widened two-lane boat ramp and new mooring pontoon.

Snowy Hydro contributed $560,000 to the recreation area project, with the NSW Government investing $850,000. Snowy Valleys Council managed construction of the project, which was completed in February this year.

Mr Whitby said Snowy Hydro always proudly supports the local communities it lives and operates in.

“We have been extremely pleased to contribute to this recreation improvement project in Talbingo, a town constructed as part of the mighty Snowy Scheme and just down the road from Tumut 3 Power Station.

“We think the community and the many visitors who come to the area for fishing, water skiing and swimming will really enjoy the upgraded amenities. 

“The new facilities allow boats to continue using Talbingo Reservoir while swimmers have a safe and friendly spot to keep cool.”

News

SNOWY SCHEME STORAGES AND SPILLS

02/11/2022

The Snowy Scheme is currently operating around the clock at optimum levels to capture very large inflows and help minimise flood risks and impacts, while still performing its  critical role of supporting energy supply to the grid.

Snowy Hydro has been managing significant inflows throughout 2022 and the assets of the Snowy Scheme are performing exceptionally well. Following repeated rainfall events in October and seasonal snowmelt, most of our reservoirs are full, and as more rain falls, we need to release or “spill” the excess water. 

In the past week, spills have occured at locations including Guthega, Island Bend, Tooma and Jindabyne dams, where inflows are greater than the available airspace and diversion capacity. Dam safety is paramount and spillways will automatically release water when a storage reaches 100%. Controlled releases have been made from most other storages, including Tumut Pond, Khancoban and Jounama to pass the high inflows.

Total Snowy Scheme storage has increased by over 1,100 gigalitres (GL)  in the three months from August to October – this equates to more than twice the volume of Sydney Harbour. Lake Eucumbene, the Scheme’s central storage, has risen by 20%, with flows from all parts of the Scheme being diverted into this long-term storage where possible.

Inflows to Lake Jindabyne cannot be moved into Eucumbene or into the already saturated Snowy-Murray development, so excess inflows can only be released into the Snowy River.

More than 300GL has also been moved away from the Tumut River into Lake Eucumbene over the last three months. Inflows in the Tumut River below Tumut Ponds Dam must also be passed through the system. 

Snowy Hydro continues to work closely with WaterNSW and utilise Scheme storage where possible to mitigate flows while flood risks are highest.

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://www.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

JINDABYNE DAM SPILL

28/10/2022

Following recent rainfall events and seasonal snowmelt inflows, Jindabyne Dam reached full supply level on Friday 28 October 2022 and commenced spilling into the Snowy River.

Dam safety is paramount at this time and spillway gates will operate automatically to regulate the inflows and pass them through to the Snowy River below the dam until the lake level falls below 100%.

Snowy Hydro expects high lake levels to remain and to continue releasing volumes in excess of the designated environmental release targets well into November.

Pre-releases of up to 5,000 megalitres per day from Jindabyne Dam into the Snowy River have been conducted since 4 October. This has helped in avoiding spills until now and will continue to reduce the peak of any subsequent flood events that may occur.

Snowy Hydro has been managing significant inflows throughout 2022. In the last three months there has been an increase in Eucumbene’s storage of 850 gigalitres, which is over 1.5 times the capacity of Sydney Harbour. Inflows to Jindabyne cannot be moved into Eucumbene and with significant flooding in all directions, excess inflows can only be passed into the Snowy River at present.

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

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 WATER RELEASES FROM TUMUT 3 POWER STATION

03/06/2022

Snowy Hydro is the largest supplier of on-demand energy generation in NSW, by capacity. The company also has an important role in capturing and storing water in the Snowy Scheme, which helps manage and regulate inflows for the benefit of downstream water users.

The National Electricity Market (NEM), especially NSW, is currently experiencing above-average outages from coal power stations and low levels of reserve energy capacity.

  • There is an energy crisis in the National Electricity Market (NEM) unfolding and Snowy Hydro is being called on more than ever to keep the lights on.
  • To provide this essential service to the NEM, Snowy Hydro must release water from the Snowy Scheme.
  • Snowy Hydro is the largest supplier of on-demand energy generation in NSW, by capacity and Tumut 3 Power Station, with a generation capacity of 1,800 megawatts, is a significant contributor. 
  • Snowy Hydro has been working closely with WaterNSW to manage storages during these challenging conditions. 
  • Generation from Tumut 3 Power Station is significantly constrained by the current storage levels in Blowering Reservoir and the release capacity of the Tumut River.
  • In order to meet the predicted energy demands, it is possible Blowering Reservoir will fill and spill, potentially exceeding the Tumut River channel capacity.
  • In this scenario, there is potential for the inundation of low-level causeways and water breaking out of the river channel onto agricultural land adjacent to the river. 

For the community, the most important message is to stay safe and well-informed.

The public can stay updated about flood alerts here:

More information

News

JINDABYNE LAKE LEVELS – Updated 12 April 2022

12/04/2022

High inflows to the Snowy Scheme, including Jindabyne catchment, have been ongoing since November.

Based on operational forecasts, if left unmitigated, Lake Jindabyne would reach full supply level (100%) and commence spilling within a week. To avoid uncontrolled spill, Snowy Hydro will again make pre-releases into the Snowy River below Jindabyne Dam from Tuesday 12 April 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 3,000 megalitres per day, similar to the rates that have been released at other times in the past five months.

The outlook as we head towards winter is for wet conditions to continue. 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. 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:
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.

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-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 – 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.

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%.

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.

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%.

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.