SMEC has been appointed as the lead consultant engineer for what is being dubbed the ‘Snowy 2.0’ feasibility study.
Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull recently announced plans to look into a “game-changing” expansion to the Snowy Hydro-Electric Scheme, saying the federal government would fund it if necessary.
Snowy Mountains Engineering Corporation Australia (SMEC) was selected through a tender competitive process to carry out the feasibility study with Snowy Hydro Limited into the potential expansion of the scheme’s pumped hydro storage capability.
Snowy Hydro and SMEC worked together from the earliest days to develop the iconic 4100 MW Snowy Mountains Hydro-Electric Scheme under the auspices of the Snowy Mountains Hydro-Electric Authority, established in 1949.
The feasibility study will first review existing proposals to expand pumped hydro storage on the Snowy Scheme, many of which have existed since the 1960s.
Under the most prospective proposal, up to 2000 MW of hydro-electric energy could be added to the grid to act as rapid response back-up during periods of high demand and fill the gaps in energy supply caused by the growth in intermittent renewables and the exit of thermal baseload power.
The pumped hydro capability means the water utilised for electricity generation can be recycled to provide supply when it’s needed most, with no impact on the Scheme’s ability to continue to supply valuable water to irrigators in the food bowl of south-eastern Australia.
“Snowy Mountain is part of our namesake and the backbone of our heritage, so the chance to be involved in this project again is a unique ‘twice-in-a-lifetime’ opportunity, both for our organisation and those engineers who worked on the original scheme,” SMEC chief executive officer Andy Goodwin said.
“The Snowy 2.0 project will provide us with new design challenges from its predecessor and we’ve created a team of our most experienced specialists to deliver the feasibility stage.
“We’re honoured to be part of the project and looking forward to resuming our presence within the Cooma community again.”
