Snowy 2.0 in Australia Reaches 65% Tunnel Boring Completion

en.Wedoany.com Reported - On October 22, Australian state-owned energy company Snowy Hydro released the latest construction and cost assessment results for the Snowy 2.0 pumped storage project. Currently, 65% of mechanized tunnel boring has been completed, 95% of drill-and-blast tunnel construction has been completed, and 90% of underground power station cavern excavation has been completed. The underground powerhouse has entered the construction phase. The project's target total cost has been adjusted to AUD 22.2 billion, with a higher cost scenario of AUD 25 billion also set. The full operational date has been adjusted to the end of 2029.

Snowy 2.0 is located in the Snowy Mountains region of New South Wales, Australia. It connects Tantangara Reservoir and Talbingo Reservoir through approximately 27 kilometers of underground water conveyance tunnels and includes the construction of an underground pumped storage power station. The main works are being undertaken by the Future Generation Joint Venture, involving long-distance tunnel boring, underground powerhouse cavern excavation, and shaft and water conveyance system construction. The project's underground powerhouse is approximately 800 meters below the surface. Once completed, it will be equipped with 6 reversible pump-turbine units, with a planned installed capacity of 2,200 MW.

Currently, the tunnel boring machine named "Lady Eileen Hudson" has completed a cumulative 8.6 kilometers of boring and will begin retirement and dismantling after completing the second tunnel; another boring machine, "Florence," is constructing a tunnel of approximately 15 kilometers and has advanced nearly halfway through its total length. Compared with the 2023 project restructuring, the completion rate of mechanized tunnel boring has increased from 19% to 65%, drill-and-blast tunnel construction from 20% to 95%, and underground power station cavern excavation from 2% to 90%.

The latest cost assessment was carried out by the project's main contractors. Snowy Hydro attributes the added costs to deeper engineering design, complex geological conditions, construction productivity, and changes in equipment and labor costs. The project's construction design completion rate has now reached 96%, a significant increase from 44% in 2023, with more than 5,000 on-site construction personnel. Under the adjusted construction schedule, subsequent works will continue to advance the remaining tunnel boring, underground powerhouse construction, and electromechanical equipment installation.