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Australian ingenuity. Unrivalled energy.

Snowy 2.0 will enable long-duration energy storage essential to the renewables transition.

The pumped hydro expansion of the iconic Snowy Hydroelectric Scheme, Snowy 2.0 is one of the most complex and challenging feats of engineering underway in the world.

Essentially a giant battery, Snowy 2.0 will store excess power from wind and solar and deliver it to homes and businesses across the grid at times it’s needed most.

Snowy 2.0’s 2,200 megawatt (MW) capacity will deliver enough energy to power 3 million homes for a week, equivalent to about 23 million home batteries.

The Australian Energy Market Operator predicts the National Electricity Market (NEM) requires around 649 gigawatt hours (GWh) of dispatchable energy storage to reach net zero by 2050, Snowy 2.0 alone will provide more than half, providing the grid with an incredible 350GWh energy storage.

With a design life of 150 years, Snowy 2.0 will underpin clean energy in Australia for generations to come.

When complete at the end of 2028, Snowy 2.0 will become the centrepiece of Snowy Hydro’s unmatched mix of on-demand power stations that provide the power and energy storage needed to keep the lights on in homes and businesses as more clean wind and solar enters the grid.

This will enable a reliable, lowest-cost energy system for Australia’s homes and businesses.

How Snowy 2.0 will keep the lights on

Snowy 2.0 is a world-leading pumped-hydro project that will significantly increase the Snowy Scheme’s electricity generation capacity and storage capability.

It will link two existing Scheme reservoirs – Tantangara and Talbingo – through 27 kilometres of tunnels and a hydroelectric new power station located approximately 800 metres underground at Lobs Hole.

Six reversible turbines in this power station will allow for water to be released for energy generation during times of peak electricity demand and then be pumped back up to the top reservoir at times of excess wind and solar.

The water will be recycled – it can be used for energy generation again and again.

Snowy 2.0 will provide vital large‐scale energy storage, along with quick‐start electricity generation at critical times of peak demand when energy supply is constrained and at times when intermittent renewable energy output is low.

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