Throughout the beginning November a huge 750-t crane has been lowering into place the giant front shield parts of the first of the three Snowy 2.0 TBMs. Snowy 2.0 is the largest renewable energy project in Australia and it will expand Snowy Hydro Limited’s network of hydro power stations and support the country’s transition to a low-carbon emissions future.
The first of the TBMs, measures 137 m in length and 11 m in diameter, and will drive a 2660m tunnel (on a descent of 9%) to the underground cavern where the power plant will be built. Loaded on long trailers hauled by heavy trucks from Port Kembla, the first shipments of the TBM components, the front shield, gear ring probe drill and main seal arrived at Lobs Hole, where excavation of the Main Access Tunnel is to begin.
The Future Generation joint-venture – is made up of Webuild (65%), Australian Clough (35%) and the U.S. subsidiary Lane Construction (10%). Their joint venture will also excavate the waterways, access tunnels and other supporting infrastructure with the other two TBMs, which will arrive on site in the coming months. The JV is also building access roads, camp accommodation for workers and has excavated the main access tunnel portal in the Snowy Mountains.
Meanwhile in Cooma the concrete segment factory is fast taking shape and soon it will begin manufacturing 130,500 precast concrete segments, each weighing about 6.5 t, these will line the 40 km of tunnels to be excavated for the Snowy 2.0 project.
Set in the Snowy Mountains, Snowy 2.0 will provide an additional 2,000 megawatts of fast-start, dispatchable energy and provide 350,000 megawatt hours of large-scale storage, enough to power the equivalent of 500,000 homes for over a week during peak demand. It will reduce volatility in the market, support reliability and bring down power prices for families and businesses. The Snowy Scheme already generates about a third of the renewable energy in Australia’s National Electricity Market.
Click here for a video showing the progress made through October. For more detailed information on the project please visit the tunnelbuilder archive click here and au/38. Visit https://www.snowyhydro.com.au/ and https://www.webuildgroup.com/en. 46/20.
