Snowy Hydro has confirmed the purchase of a fourth tunnel boring machine to help keep Snowy 2.0 on its delivery timeline, subject to approval by the NSW Department of Planning, Housing and Infrastructure.
The massive pumped hydro project has been hampered by delays and cost blowouts. A recent update detailed how work had literally ground to a halt on Snowy 2.0, with tunnel boring machine Florence stuck in hard rock in the head race tunnel after becoming trapped in mid-May.
Related article: Snowy 2.0’s Florence proving a real stick-in-the-mud
Snowy Hydro CEO Dennis Barnes said activating a fourth tunnel boring machine was the right course of action.
“New ground testing techniques have provided a better understanding of the full extent of a complex fault zone on the route of the 17km tunnel that will connect Snowy 2.0’s upper reservoir to its underground power station,” he said.
“We’ve always known the fault zone was there and I’ve said in the past we will need to take action. While the fault zone is not a surprise, further ground testing since the project reset has revealed it is far more geologically challenging than earlier investigations indicated.
“We’ve carefully considered a range of options to get through the fault zone and overcome the initial design immaturity. Bringing in a fourth machine is the best way to keep the Snowy 2.0 on track for its target completion date of December 2028.”
A modification for Snowy 2.0’s project approval has been submitted to the NSW Department of Planning, Housing and Infrastructure, and will be subject to the Department’s independent community consultation and assessment processes.
“Just like the construction of the original Snowy Scheme, this is one of the most challenging and complex megaprojects underway in the world,” Barnes said.
“The fourth tunnel boring machine is an example of adapting to the situation in front of us, so we are doing everything we can to safely meet Snowy 2.0’s delivery timeline.”
Related article: Stirring films made the Snowy scheme a nationbuilding project. Could the troubled Snowy 2.0 do the same?
Snowy 2.0 will help underpin Australia’s transition to renewable energy through its ability to generate enough flexible, fast-dispatch energy to power 3 million homes continuously for a week.
According to the Australian Energy Market Operator (AEMO), Snowy 2.0 will supply a majority of the National Electricity Market’s storage needs—greater than every other storage asset combined.
