The two organisations are working in collaboration to achieve full commercial operation by December 2028. Future Generation Joint Venture (FGJV) comprises Webuild and its subsidiaries Lane and Clough.
In a progress update, project integration manager Paul Smith said more than over 40% of the project was now complete. This includes excavation of the 2.85km main access tunnel, lined with almost 13,000 concrete segments; excavation of the 2.9km emergency, cable and ventilation tunnel; road upgrades; and infrastructure to support construction including the main yard workshops, worker campsites and more than 50km of access roads across three main worksites at Lobs Hole, Marica and Tantangara.
Excavation is under way on the 250m-long underground power station cavern and the tailrace tunnel, and TBM Kirsten is being modified to excavate the inclined pressure shaft. Drill and blast to create 11 cross passages and construction tunnels is also progressing
Recent Stage 2 earthworks include a blast covering an area of 4,500m2. About 10,000m3 of material is being removed as the excavation of the 104m-high intake continues.
In August Snowy Hydro CEO Dennis Barnes announced a project reset to enable the commercially sustainable and successful delivery of the project.
Snowy 2.0 has faced challenges, including more than a seven-month delay to tunnelling on the headrace tunnel when a surface depression developed as the TBM was transitioning from soft material into harder rock conditions. TBM Florence was halted while ground stabilisation was carried out.
Snowy 2.0 is the largest renewable energy project under construction in Australia and will provide deep storage central to Australia’s renewable transition. When complete, it will deliver 2,200MW of dispatchable generation.
