While Snowy Hydro continues to sit on the results of a much anticipated and speculated upon cost review of the huge Snowy 2.0 project, construction of the “hydroelectric station the size of the Sydney Opera House” this week hit a concrete milestone in its underground works.
In an update shared ealier this week, Snowy Hydro said that a team of more than 5,000 people working to bring the project to life has begun “permanent concrete pouring” almost 1 km underground, setting the stage to assemble the plant’s six turbines.
“With excavation in the massive machine and transformer halls over 90 per cent complete, engineering teams are turning their attention to the internal fit-out of the power station,” the update says.
“Crews are preparing to install major components, including massive inlet valves and spiral casings designed to channel water that will fuel the generators.”
Progress has been slow going on the project, particularly in the tunnel-boring department, and particularly for a particular tunnel-boring machine called Florence, which first got bogged in ground that was too soft and then became wedged in rock that was too hard.
In February, Snowy set to work a fourth tunnel boring machine, a $75 million piece of drilling equipment purpose-built to complete excavation of the huge pumped hydro project’s “geologically challenging” 17 kilometre headrace tunnel.
In its update this week, Snowy says excavation is complete for the six connector tunnels between the transformer hall and machine hall that will contain specialised electrical equipment to channel power from the six generators to high-voltage transformers and on to the grid.
Over the coming months, construction crews will begin putting in place more than 1,400 pieces of precast concrete to house the power-generating kit, including transformers weighing more than 400 tonnes each.
All six of the project’s reversible turbines have also been delivered, while the project’s power-generating high-voltage transformers are currently undergoing final testing.
“Fit-out in our underground powerhouses is an extremely precise and detail-oriented process,” Snowy Hydro CEO Dennis Barnes said in a statement.
“We’re building some of the widest and deepest power station caverns in the world.
“Transitioning into the fit-out phase of an underground station the size of the Sydney Opera House is a landmark engineering achievement that we’re all extremely proud of.
“The skill of the workforce behind Snowy 2.0 is incredible. From the army of skilled local talent to top hydropower experts from across the globe.”
On the findings of the project cost reassessment, Snowy says these are coming, too – at some point.
“After receiving advice from independent construction cost experts, Snowy Hydro is considering the commercial and practical implications to inform its advice to the government,” the statement says.
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