Construction on Snowy 2.0, the nation’s largest energy security project, has recently reached a defining milestone as focus moves from cavern excavation to the physical assembly and fit-out of the massive underground power station.
Located almost a kilometre underground at Lobs Hole, the powerhouse complex, a cavern network comparable in scale to the Sydney Opera House, is now taking shape.
With excavation of the machine and transformer halls 90 per cent complete, teams have poured permanent concrete and will shortly begin installing the first of more than 1,400 precast concrete elements.
All six reversible turbines have now arrived in Australia.
Crews will then prepare to position massive inlet valves and spiral casings, alongside high-voltage transformers weighing over 400 tonnes each, and a multitude of hydropower components.
This year we’ve achieved some big milestones:
- The start of decommissioning TBM Lady Eileen Hudson after completing its second tunnel, the 6-kilometre tailrace.
- TBM Florence is almost at the halfway point of its 15-kilometre tunnelling journey (49 per cent completion).
- The start of construction on the underground power station with the first concrete pours taking place across the complex.
Overall progress on key workfronts as at September 2026:
- Drill and blast tunnels: 95 per cent
- TBM tunnels: 65 per cent
- Power station complex excavation: 90 per cent
- Design completion: 96 per cent