Former Liberal leader appointed to Snowy Hydro board as market awaits another Snowy 2.0 reset

Former Opposition leader Sussan Ley has been appointed to the board of the Commonwealth-owned Snowy Hydro energy utility, seven months after she was dumped as leader of the federal Liberal party.

The appointment was announced on Monday by climate change and energy minister Chris Bowen and finance minister Katy Gallagher. They also named Merryn York, a former chief executive of Powerlink Queensland and executive general manager for system design at the Australian Energy Market Operator, to the Snowy Hydro board. 

“Sussan [Ley] brings extensive experience in government and regional Australia, as well as a strong understanding of Snowy 2.0, and Merryn [York] brings decades of experience across Australia’s electricity system, including transmission planning, system design and the integration of renewable energy,” Bowen said, in a statement.

“Their combined knowledge and skill will help Snowy Hydro deliver reliable power, stronger regional economies and more Australian jobs.”

The new board members will have a lot to keep them busy. The government has been waiting for a detailed cost review into its giant Snowy 2.0, first announced last October.

That review was supposed to take 9 months, but still has not been seen more than 11 months later, with widespread speculation that the project costs have jumped to $20 billion or more, up from $12 billion from the previous reset.

The updated costings – which some put at $40 billion if interest and transmission costs are included – may be coming soon, with Italy’s WeBuild – now leading the contractors at the site – recently appointing public relations specialists in Australia. Snowy Hydro has declined to comment on the timing of the release.

Ley resigned after being deposed by current Liberal leader Angus Taylor. She had been the Liberal member for about 24 years for the Farrer electorate, a region that includes some of the Snowy rivers, including the Murrumbidgee, and many large wind and solar projects.

“Their strong and complementary skills will be valuable as Snowy Hydro continues to deliver major projects and support Australia’s energy system,” Gallagher said in statement.

Ley’s appointment comes as her former Coalition deputy, the ex-Nationals leader David Littleproud, wrote to the state LNP government in Queensland, asking them to “call in” and reject a previously approved wind project in his electorate of Maranoa.

The ministers thanked outgoing directors Sandra Dodds and Scott Mitchell “for their significant contribution to Snowy Hydro”.