Snowy Hydro’s nation-building Snowy 2.0 project, which is the largest renewable energy project under construction in Australia, provides a long-term, stable power source with low-carbon emissions. Started in 2019, it’s around 60 per cent complete as its 3000-person workforce aims for a finish date of December 2028.
Snowy 2.0 will create 27 kilometres of tunnels, build a pumped hydro power station 800 metres below ground level and generate more than 4000 direct jobs in the Snowy Mountains region of NSW. It will increase the original Snowy Mountains Hydro-electric Scheme generating capacity by 50 per cent or 2200 megawatts.
“A mega-project like this requires ingenuity and innovation,” says Marianne McCabe, manager of community and stakeholder engagement at Future Generation Joint Venture (FGJV). To build Snowy 2.0 on behalf of Snowy Hydro Limited, FGJV uses the skills of three companies: Australia’s Clough, Italy’s Webuild and the US-based Lane Construction.
“The scale and complexity of this project is impressive. Building a powerhouse deep underground presents its own unique challenges and we have one tunnel-boring machine (TBM) tunnelling at a very steep positive gradient. The upstream surge shaft is the largest diameter and deepest operational shaft in the southern hemisphere, at 28 metres wide and more than 250 metres deep.”
ACTING LOCALLY
One of the main challenges on this project is that they are building in a remote area of the Snowy Mountains. Absolutely everything required for construction needs to be transported into the site. Snowy Hydro and FGJV are committed to using local businesses and suppliers to capitalise on their convenience of location and awareness of the unique qualities of the Snowy Mountains region.
“To date, about $220 million has been spent with businesses in local government areas around the project,” says McCabe. One of those businesses is CSS member, Switched-On Electrical Supplies (SOES), based in the town of Tumut, NSW. Started in 2004 by Tim Salmon and supported by his brother, Jono Salmon, the business has a core focus of electrical wholesale.
The owners of Switched On Electrical Supplies inspecting the site.
“Over time that has morphed into industrial and electrical supplies,” says founder Tim Salmon. “Our products are also fully available to the general public.”
FGJV approached SOES during the early days of construction, requesting they submit a tender to supply electrical products for camp construction. The tender was accepted and SOES supplied basics such as wiring and switches for 600 worker accommodation units on three different sites. SOES also supplied specialised industrial sensors and instrumentation products.
“Once the camps were completed, our relationship with FGJV evolved so we’re now supplying power tools for construction and consumables to support the progress of the project,” says Tim Salmon. “Snowy 2.0 is spread across five different sites in an area of around 100 square kilometres. It’s a huge undertaking.”
The remoteness of the location means everything and everyone needs to come in and out by trucks. Weather can be an issue and the logistics of maintaining camps for the workforce while constructing 27 kilometres of tunnels is daunting. The tunnels will connect two dams, Tantangara and Talbingo, with the underground power station positioned between them. Water will be pumped to the upper dam, Tantangara, when there’s surplus renewable energy and demand is low.
Water will be released to the lower dam, Talbingo, generating electricity when the demand is high. “We’ve certainly faced some challenges,” says McCabe. “We’ve had to come up with some technical innovations suitable for this world-class project. We are proud to know the whole construction and the tunnelling world is watching what we’re doing to bring Snowy 2.0 to completion.”
When SOES agreed to become a supplier, Tim Salmon had no doubts they could service the needs of such an expansive undertaking.
“I was absolutely confident,” he says. “We have a great team to make this happen. The project has grown in scope over time and we now service subcontractors doing work for FGJV. Snowy 2.0 is a large part of our business but we also have many other projects and clients. Switched-On only has seven full-time staff but we consistently deliver in a timely and efficient manner. We’re proud to be associated with Snowy 2.0. It’s this generation’s gift to the future.”
Snowy 2.0 will provide renewable on-demand energy while utilising largescale storage, benefitting generations to come. By using local suppliers, subcontractors and businesses, projects like this bring economic benefit to the region.
“Snowy Hydro had an established relationship with Switched-On Electrical Supplies for its existing hydro operations,” says McCabe. “Future Generation has successfully expanded this long-term partnership. We recently brought Tim and Jono back to site for meetings with key representatives from Future Gen. They also went underground to see where their equipment is being used with one of the tunnel boring machines.”
For Tim Salmon, the involvement with FGJV has been an extremely positive experience. “Exposing us to such a large project has been very beneficial for our business,” he says. “It’s upskilled our internal workforce, strengthened our problem-solving abilities and built on our capabilities.”
The original Snowy Scheme just celebrated its 75th anniversary. It still stands as one of the world’s greatest achievements in engineering.
“Snowy 2.0 carries on that grand tradition,” says McCabe. “We are walking in the footsteps of those former workers as we expand on the original scheme. We’re building a project that’s our legacy for future generations.”
