THE opening of the multibillion-dollar Snowy Hydro 2.0 project- a nation-building initiative vital to reduce Australia carbon emissions and providing cheap energy- has been pushed back to 2028.
Located in the Snowy Mountains of New South Wales, the hydro project is expected to generate 2 gigawatts of renewable energy and provide about 350,000 megawatts per hour of large-scale storage to the national electricity market.
Dubbed the largest committed renewable energy project in Australia, the scheme will provide on-demand energy and large-scale storage for future generations.
The ambitious initiative involves the construction of a new pumped hydro energy storage facility by digging 27km of new underground tunnels that will be used to transfer water between the Tantangara and Talbingo dams.
Causes for the delay include supply chain disruption as a result of the global pandemic, a lack of skilled labor, the complex design of the project, and geological conditions.
Snowy Hydro CEO Dennis Barnes emphasized the importance of transparency when it comes to inevitable issues and challenges that arise in a complex project like this, adding that while many other major infrastructure projects have been impacted by the same challenges, Snowy 2.0 continues to make positive progress.
“I am committed to being transparent about our progress and how we are proactively managing the inevitable issues and challenges that arise in a complex project like this. While many other major infrastructure projects have been impacted by the same challenges, Snowy 2.0 continues to make positive progress,” said Dennis Barnes, Snowy Hydro CEO.
The project has employed more than 2,400 people and thousands more jobs are benefitting indirectly through supply chains and support services.
The Australian government had originally hoped Snowy 2.0 would be built by 2021, however, the deadline was later pushed to 2026, and now, to 2028.
If the project pushes through, the country’s east coast will obtain 82 percent of its power from renewables by 2030.
Snowy 2.0 is also vital to help replace electricity sourced from three coal-fired power stations that are due to close by 2028.
The facility is expected to open and generate its first power by December 2028 while the commercial operation of all units is anticipated by December 2029.
