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Snowy 2.0 Pumped Storage Power Station

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Coordinates: 35°47′11″S 148°26′40″E / 35.78639°S 148.44444°E / -35.78639; 148.44444
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Snowy 2.0 Pumped Storage Power Station
Map
CountryAustralia
LocationSnowy Mountains
Coordinates35°47′11″S 148°26′40″E / 35.78639°S 148.44444°E / -35.78639; 148.44444
StatusUnder construction
Construction began2019; 5 years ago (2019)
Construction costAUD 12 billion[1]
OwnerSnowy Hydro
External links
Websitehttps://www.snowyhydro.com.au/
[edit on Wikidata]

Snowy 2.0 Pumped Storage Power Station or Snowy Hydro 2.0 or simply Snowy 2.0 is a pumped-hydro battery megaproject in New South Wales, Australia. The dispatchable generation project expands upon the original Snowy Mountains Scheme (ex post facto Snowy 1.0) connecting two existing dams through a 27-kilometre (17 mi) underground tunnel and a new, underground pumped-hydro power station.[2] Construction began in 2019.[2] It is expected to supply 2.2 gigawatts of capacity and about 350,000 megawatt hours of large-scale storage to the national electricity market.[3][4] It is the largest renewable energy project under construction in Australia.[5] It includes one of the largest and deepest cavern excavations ever undertaken.[6] It also includes the longest tunnels at 27 kilometres in length, of any pumped-hydro station ever built.

It is designed for grid stabilization; to be a backup at times of peak demand and for when solar and wind energy are not providing power.[7] It provides invaluable firming capability. Snowy Hydro acts like a giant battery by absorbing, storing, and dispatching energy.[3] Snowy 2.0 can be ‘switched on’ very quickly.[8] The battery is designed to operate for up to 175 hours of temporary supply.[9] It is Australia's largest energy project,[10] estimated to cost 12 billion Australian dollars. By 2023, AU$4.3 billion had been spent.[1] The project is led by public company Snowy Hydro Limited.[10] When complete it is expected to have a large impact on the price and reliability of electric power.[11]

History

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Initial plans for a power station at the location were discussed in 1966.[12] Further studies were undertaken in 1980 and 1990.[12] The current project originated as the centrepiece of Malcolm Turnbull's climate change policy in 2017.[13] The original cost of the project was around $2 billion.[14] A feasibility study carried out in 2017 finding the project was both technically and financially feasible.[12] The study was released on 21 December 2017 and found the project cost would be between $3.8 and 4.5 billion.[15]

The first tunnel that was completed by October 2022, was a 2.85 kilometre section that provided main access at Lobs Hole.[16] It was 10 metres in diameter and provides pedestrian and vehicle access into the power station.[16] By May 2023 the emergency, cable and ventilation tunnel was excavated.[17] It is 2.93 kilometre long, 10 metres in diameter and will be used for power station ventilation and high-voltage cables.[17] Excavation of the transformer and machines halls began in June 2023.[6] By February 2024, half of the construction required was complete.[18]

It was originally expected to be completed by 2024.[19][20] Snowy Hydro 2.0 has been beset by delays and cost blowouts.[13][7][4] Delays have been caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, global supply chain disruptions, complex design elements and variable site and geological conditions.[9] The delays have raised concerns that Snowy Hydro will not be ready in time for new solar and wind projects coming online as five coal-fired power stations close.[7] AEMO warns that supply gaps will emerge from 2025.[4] The project is currently expected to be fully operational by the end of 2028 and generating power as early as late 2027.[5]

The project is using three tunnel boring machines to dig tunnels.[13] One of the machines, called Florence was stuck for 19 months after encountering soft rock near Tantangara.[20] Florence is excavating the 16 km headrace tunnel, which will connect the underground power station to the upper Tantangara reservoir.[21] Florence launched in March 2022 and was named in honour of Australia’s first female electrical engineer, Florence Violet McKenzie.[14] Eight weeks later the machine was bogged in wet soft ground. The machine is capable of digging 30 to 50 metres a day. In December 2022, a sinkhole opened up above the tunnel.[20] Florence was moving at a pace of six metres a day by early December 2023.[18] In May 2024 the tunnel boring machine was stuck in hard rock.[22] By 11 July Florence was clear of the hard rock after using ultra-high pressure water jetting.[23] A fourth boring machine was required due to the delays caused by Florence.[24]

Drilling and blasting is used to dig caverns. The company managing underground blasting operations is Orica.[25] Rock bolts and shotcrete support the exposed solid rock face.[25]

Design and location

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Tantangara Reservoir, 2013

It is located remotely within the Kosciuszko National Park in the Snowy Mountains.[3] Snowy Hydro 2.0 will use water from the Talbingo Reservoir (bottom storage) and Tantangara Reservoir (top storage).[11] The dams have a height differential of 700 metres.[12] The new power station is being built by the Italian firm Webuild.[26] It will be located in a cavern 800 metres underground.[11] The underground location allows for reduced environmental impacts within the national park. The operational footprint of the facility is less than 0.01% of the total size of the park.[27]

The Inclined Pressure Shaft (IPS) through which the water will pass is the largest of its kind in the world and facilitates the water’s return to the upper reservoir when the pump-turbines operate in reverse.[28] The IPS is 10 metres in diameter, 1.6 kilometres long and at a 25 degree incline. Pre-cast concrete segments for the shaft are produced at a factory in the town of Cooma.[28] Fatigue resistance is a key design element in the IPS.[28]

The power station will measure 22 metres (m) wide, 50 m high and 250 m long.[10] The station will house six reversible Francis pump-turbine and motor-generator units.[19] Three units will be of variable speed with the remaining of synchronous speed. Each turbine will have a rated output of 333 megawatts.[29] Power generating equipment is being supplied by Voith.[29]

It will be connected to the grid via the HumeLink transmission line.[13][30] The construction of overhead power lines by TransGrid has been opposed by community advocacy groups.[31] Landholders desire to see the transmission line built underground have been opposed due to prohibitive costs.[31]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b Vorrath, Sophie (31 August 2023). "Bowen confirms $12bn Snowy 2.0 cost blowout, says pitfalls should have been known". RenewEconomy.
  2. ^ a b "History". Snowy Hydro. Retrieved 5 May 2023.
  3. ^ a b c "The next generation of hydropower in Australia". SMEC. 15 October 2022. Retrieved 5 May 2023.
  4. ^ a b c Morton, Adam; Rose, Tamsin; Hannam, Peter (3 May 2023). "Snowy Hydro 2.0 project hit by delay of up to two years and another cost blowout". The Guardian. Retrieved 5 May 2023.
  5. ^ a b Lowrey, Tom (31 August 2023). "Snowy Hydro expansion hits reset button as costs blow out to $12 billion". ABC News. Retrieved 24 October 2023.
  6. ^ a b Cook, Kody (9 January 2024). "Milestone for Snowy 2.0". Utility Magazine. Monkey Media. Retrieved 12 January 2024.
  7. ^ a b c Toscano, Nick; Foley, Mike (3 May 2023). "Snowy 2.0 pumped hydro project hit with new delays, cost blowouts". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 5 May 2023.
  8. ^ "Snowy 2.0". Industry Capacity Network. Retrieved 28 February 2024.
  9. ^ a b "Timeline, budget reset for Snowy 2.0 pumped storage". Hydro Review. 5 April 2023. Retrieved 5 May 2023.
  10. ^ a b c "Snowy 2.0: A pumped-storage plant of colossal proportions". Tractebel. 20 July 2022. Retrieved 5 May 2023.
  11. ^ a b c Ziffer, Daniel (6 January 2023). "Snowy Hydro could change our electricity grid and bring cheap power. But we have to build it". ABC News. Australian Broadcasting Corporation. Retrieved 5 May 2023.
  12. ^ a b c d Cella, Lauren (24 January 2020). "Snowy 2.0 underway". Pump Industry. Retrieved 5 May 2023.
  13. ^ a b c d Dhanji, Krishani (3 May 2023). "Snowy Hydro 2.0 pumped-hydro battery project faces a further two years of delays". ABC News. Australian Broadcasting Corporation. Retrieved 5 May 2023.
  14. ^ a b Clarke, Melissa (23 February 2024). "Florence is back to the grind, but Snowy 2.0 has a long way to go". ABC News. Retrieved 20 March 2024.
  15. ^ "Snowy 2.0 feasibility study released". ARENA. 20 December 2017. Retrieved 5 May 2023.
  16. ^ a b "Milestone first tunnel completed for Snowy 2.0". Snowy Hydro. 11 October 2022. Retrieved 5 May 2023.
  17. ^ a b Eastaway, Gail (26 May 2023). "Tunnel vision turns to reality in Snowy Hydro 2.0 milestone". Riotact. Retrieved 26 May 2023.
  18. ^ a b Hannam, Peter (23 February 2024). "Snowy Hydro's 2.0 fortunes might finally be turning as drilling gets back on track". The Guardian. Retrieved 28 February 2024.
  19. ^ a b "Snowy 2.0 Hydropower Project, New South Wales". PowerTechnology. Verdict Media. Retrieved 5 May 2023.
  20. ^ a b c Grigg, Angus; Robinson, Lesley; Gock, Kamin. "A sinkhole, toxic gas and the $2 billion mistake behind Snowy 2.0's blowout". ABC News. Retrieved 23 October 2023.
  21. ^ Thomas, Tris (18 July 2024). "Snowy 2.0 team releases update on tunnel construction". Tunnelling Journal. Retrieved 29 July 2024.
  22. ^ Clarke, Melissa (22 May 2024). "Tunnel boring machine wedged in hard rock, leaving Snowy 2.0 hydropower project with new issues". ABC News. Retrieved 23 May 2024.
  23. ^ Thomas, Tris (18 July 2024). "Snowy 2.0 team releases update on tunnel construction". Tunnelling Journal. Retrieved 17 August 2024.
  24. ^ Clarke, Melissa (23 August 2024). "Snowy Hydro buys another boring machine, hoping to make up for lost time". ABC News. Retrieved 24 August 2024.
  25. ^ a b Topalovic, Vivien (6 February 2024). "Snowy Hydro 2.0 sees another breakthrough". Trenchless Australia. Prime Creative Media. Retrieved 28 February 2024.
  26. ^ "Snowy 2.0 : Webuild Group". Webuild. Retrieved 24 October 2023.
  27. ^ "FAQs". Snowy Hydro. Retrieved 5 May 2023.
  28. ^ a b c "Tunnelling innovation: The pioneering technology behind Snowy 2.0". Create Digital. 29 November 2023. Retrieved 28 February 2024.
  29. ^ a b "Voith Snowy 2.0". ICN Gateway. Retrieved 5 May 2023.
  30. ^ "HumeLink inches ahead as state inquiry rules out putting lines underground". RenewEconomy. 31 August 2023.
  31. ^ a b Burke, Conor (31 August 2023). "Inquiry deems Transgrid's HumeLink energy transmission project will remain above ground". ABC News. Retrieved 25 October 2023.
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