NEWS - Lighting up the night sky Advances in snow measurement Regional business boost Snowy 2.0 update - Snowy Hydro
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NEWS ISSUE 53 WINTER 2021 Lighting up the night sky Advances in snow measurement Regional business boost Snowy 2.0 update
INSIDE 3 CEO’s message 4 TBM Naming Competition 5 Women in STEM 6 Jindabyne Central and Monaro High 7 Providence Portal 8 Advances in snow measurement 9 Regional business boost 10 Snowy 2.0 12 Concrete segment factory 13 Young driver training 14 Red Energy Ambassadors Follow us We welcome your feedback: @snowyhydroltd 1800 623 776 communityfeedback@snowyhydro.com.au @snowyhydroofficial For more information, please visit our website snowyhydro.com.au. Sign-up to our e-newsletter or follow us on Facebook. This page, Betts Creek Valley near Spencer Creek. Cover image, Tumut 3 Power Station. Photo Ian Grant. 2
CEO UPDATE A message from Managing Director and CEO Paul Broad Teamwork is a value we see every day in our Work continues at rapid pace on Snowy 2.0, the business and it helps us achieve success in a major pumped-hydro expansion of the Scheme. highly competitive sector. There are many new work fronts and more than 1,000 people working on this fantastic project Effective teamwork isn’t just about a group that, when complete, will ‘firm’ intermittent of people doing a job. It’s having a collective renewables like wind and solar so we can goal and working collaboratively with energy, generate power when it’s needed. enthusiasm, innovation and often, flexibility, when things change unexpectedly. I hope you’ve visited our website or followed Snowy Hydro on social media and seen some of So it makes me very proud seeing our Snowy the excellent Snowy 2.0 project videos that we Mountains region bouncing back from the lows publish each month. of bushfires and COVID, and of course, the role Snowy Hydro is playing in this recovery. Shortly there will be an opportunity to vote for Together with the community, local businesses, names for our two remaining tunnel boring local government, agencies and other key machines - they will be named after inspirational stakeholders, we are all making a contribution. or ground-breaking Australian women in STEM, so keep a lookout for the online voting period It’s great to see local food and accommodation later this month. houses busy and businesses throughout Meanwhile, we’re gearing up for winter the mountains benefiting from increased throughout the business and hoping for plenty economic activity generated by both Snowy of snow that will later become our 'fuel' supply, 2.0 and Snowy Hydro generally. We look to to generate clean hydroelectric power. Snowy’s work with local suppliers as much as we hydrographic, water, scientific services and other can and value our relationships with our teams all come together so we can effectively contractors, who are key to helping keep the manage water across the Scheme. Snowy Scheme assets in great shape and work with us on individual projects. If you’re driving through the mountains this winter season, please take care and drive to conditions. This certainly applies with Snowy 2.0 and our construction contractor Future Generation Joint Venture. The partnership relies on great cooperation, teamwork and shared principles, which we have recently celebrated during the commissioning of our first tunnel boring Paul Broad machine, the Lady Eileen Hudson. Managing Director and CEO 3
One of the Snowy 2.0 tunnel boring machines that needs naming; a Snowy Scheme scientist. Science Renewables Energy Engineering Tunnel Boring Machine Technology Woman in STEM Maths Water Power Science Renewables Energy Engineering Tunnel Boring Machine Electricity Technology Science Renewables Energy Engineering Tunnel Boring Machine Technology Woman in STEM Maths Water Power Science Renewables Energy Engineering TBM Tunnel Boring Machine Electricity Technology NAMING COMPETITION CAST YOUR VOTE! T he three tunnel boring A competition with schools in the contractor, Future Generation machines (TBMs) that Snowy Mountains region is helping Joint Venture, have chosen a will be commissioned decide names for the remaining shortlist from the nominations and for Snowy 2.0 have a two machines. Snowy Hydro has members of the public are invited mammoth task ahead. enlisted the help of local students to vote for their favourite. In total, the TBMs will excavate to come up with a list of possible The two names that receive the 27 kilometres of tunnels to link options, inspired by Australian most votes will be bestowed Tantangara and Talbingo dams, women in STEM. on each of the unnamed TBMs. with a new underground power Students from years 5 to The students who nominated station also to be built. 12 (stages 3-6) have been the most popular names will The first TBM to start work was researching the work of women win a VIP experience at the officially named the Lady Eileen working in science, technology, Snowy Hydro Discovery Centre in Hudson at a commissioning engineering and mathematics Cooma, and a special visit to see ceremony at Lobs Hole. TBMs are and have discovered many one of the TBMs at a Snowy 2.0 traditionally given female names fascinating examples. construction site. for good fortune on the project Representatives from Snowy Check Snowy Hydro’s social media before they begin tunnelling. Hydro and Snowy 2.0 principal accounts for details on how to vote. 4
WOMEN IN STEM Snowy snapshot A new generation of engineers and scientists at Snowy Hydro are modern day role models for students considering a career in STEM. Like so many working in STEM disciplines, all three grew up with a curiosity about how things work, and a love for problem-solving. Sara Winsome Emilie Roder Whyte Lapointe Sara Roder was an inquisitive Winsome Whyte studied civil As a geotechnical engineer on child, who constantly asked her engineering and architecture at Snowy 2.0 since the start of the parents to explain things to her university with her eye on a career geotechnical investigations so she could figure out how as a specialist structural engineer, program, Emilie Lapointe knows they worked. After three years but her career path was not a thing or two about rock types studying mechanical engineering straightforward. in the Snowy Mountains. at university, Sara joined a Winnie's early roles were in Her team uses the information three-month vacation program construction management and gathered by drilling through rock, at Snowy Hydro. She returned a project management before a down-hole and lab testing to year later after completing her regional opportunity led her to build the geological model for degree to take up a role as a a role as a strategic engineer the design of Snowy 2.0’s tunnels graduate mechanical engineer with Snowy Hydro’s dam safety and underground power station. and has worked in various teams assurance team. Winnie loves Emilie initially considered a career at Snowy as part of the graduate the science and maths behind in political science, but the idea of program over the past two years. why something works and enjoys hands-on problem-solving led her Her current rotation is in Snowy’s applying that logic to solve real to pursue a role in STEM. Investigations and Development world problems. Projects team, which looks at innovative ways to improve day-to-day work on the Scheme. 5
SCHOOL REPORT Jindabyne Central and Monaro High P hysics and engineering the Discovery Centre in Cooma, A few weeks later we visited the students studying presented by a Snowy Hydro Guthega Power Station, where we electromagnetism for engineer and their education were warmly welcomed by a Snowy their HSC at Jindabyne programs manager. Hydro engineer, who showed us Central School and the inner workings of the plant and The presentation described the Monaro High School recently had took the time to answer our many underlying principles our students the opportunity to experience questions. A particular highlight learn about in their study of physics power generation in real life. for the group was a demonstration at HSC level and how that applies They consolidated their learning of the start-up procedure and full to power generation at Snowy with a trip to the Snowy Scheme, operation of one of the generators. Hydro. In the immersive theatre, organised by Snowy Hydro’s we also saw a bird’s eye view of The sights, sounds and feel of the education programs team. the Scheme’s operation using an moving water under our feet, of the Science teacher Charles Dean interactive projection of the region turbine and the generator above accompanied his students on that students could move around. our heads filled our senses. It was the two-part excursion and wrote a highly impressive demonstration My students were impressed by the this report: of how physics theory has been expertise and knowledge shared by applied on a large scale. I recently had the enjoyable task of the team at the Discovery Centre. arranging a Stage 6 (years 11 and They commented on how well the I was impressed with how 12) excursion for physics students chosen visuals portrayed physics well-prepared and accommodating from my school, Jindabyne Central. principles at work, and the scale the team was towards engaging The first part of the excursion and complexity of the operation as with our Stage 6 students, who all was a multimedia presentation at a whole. thoroughly enjoyed the experience. Students at Guthega Power Station. Teacher Charles Dean third from right. 66
REGIONAL WORKS PROVIDENCE PORTAL A n important part of caused erosion which destabilised regular operations the embankment, leaving a steep at Snowy Hydro is slope and increased sediment ensuring the Snowy levels in the channel. Scheme’s assets and surrounding environment are safe To stabilise the bank, steep batters and well-maintained. Changing were excavated or ‘laid back’ to seasonal conditions and extreme reduce the slope and earth was weather events are part of life then spread and compacted in the mountains, but can cause onsite. Rock armour was brought damage to equipment and natural in to help the channel better structures. withstand future erosion. The site was temporarily fenced off and At Providence Portal, an closed to the public while our earthworks project was recently contractor, Leed Engineering, completed to stabilise eroded embankments and reduce further carried out the six-week erosion downstream where remediation work. water from the Tantangara to The long-term benefit of the Eucumbene tunnel outlet flows project is a much safer and into Eucumbene Dam. improved foreshore experience for The 500m section of channel is people visiting this area of Lake designed to sit below the Lake Eucumbene, a popular spot for Eucumbene full supply level, but fishing and camping. With work had recently been exposed due complete, Providence Portal was to current lake levels. Water flow reopened to the public in May. Works at Providence Portal have included installation of rock armour. 77
SCIENCE Snow depth sensor and weighing scale; snow corer. Advances in snow measurement S nowfall and the has a higher water content - water carried out along a line of reference subsequent spring melt density in a ripened snowpack can points to measure the snow contribute around two- be up to 50% or more! characteristics at each point and the thirds of the water stored results are ‘meaned’ for an overall The latest monitoring in Snowy Hydro's dams. As representative measurement. technologies, deployed at this is the 'fuel' supply to generate a number of remote winter Both methods provide data for a clean hydroelectric power, it’s locations, use a snow depth particular section of the catchment, essential to understand how much sensor and weighing scale snow has accumulated across the but conditions of the snowpack system to capture the depth can vary significantly depending on mountains to effectively manage and weight of a one-metre water within the Snowy Scheme. elevation and aspect, and changes square patch of snow, with data throughout the season. Through the winter season, regularly transmitted directly to Snowy’s Hydrographic team the Water team for analysis. One Historical records provide lots of measures various characteristics of these high-tech systems is useful information, but are only of the accumulated snowpack, operational at the Deep Creek representative of that location. including snow depth and weight. snow monitoring site, between Move 100 metres up or down the This information allows Snowy Cabramurra and Khancoban. mountain and the reading will Hydro to calculate the amount Field measurements are also be different again. Coupled with of water, or water density, of conducted at key snow monitoring satellite imagery analysis of snow the snowpack. Skiers would be sites using a hollow metal tube cover through the year, snow familiar with powdery snow, which called a snow corer that is pushed depth measurements contribute typically contains around 10-20% into the snow down to ground level, to Snowy Hydro's understanding water density. Slushy snow, more capturing a sample of snow that is of potential available meltwater in common at the end of the season, then measured by weight. This is the alpine catchments. 8
SNOWY 2.0 REGIONAL BUSINESS BOOST L ast year delivered a Business is also buzzing for PHE of concrete segments will be double whammy to industrial electrical contractors making their way to site where Snowy Mountains in Tumut. The long-established they will be assembled into rings motels and resorts, with local outfit has provided electrical to line the tunnels. bushfires hampering services to Snowy Hydro for the Midland has hired more than a summer travel and severely past 17 years and has now added dozen extra workers, including damaging Selwyn Ski Resort, Snowy 2.0 to their list of projects. welders and mechanics, to and COVID restrictions impacting The team has been busy installing assemble and fit out 14 custom- winter activities. This year has electrical mains cables and made vehicles. Each of the vehicles seen the return of weekend external lighting at the segment has a prime mover and three and school holiday tourism and factory at Polo Flat. PHE has short trailers specially designed Cooma Motor Inn, like many taken on extra staff to meet the to distribute the weight of the local motels, is busier than ever. increased workload and is using segments and safely manoeuvre The Sharp Street motel, with 43 local companies for supplies. the steep, winding conditions on rooms and the newly opened Further afield, Midland Industries mountain roads. With 130,500 Gate restaurant, is frequently at Parkes is gearing up for its fleet concrete segments required to occupied with workers for Snowy of custom-made trailers to hit the line the 27 kilometres of tunnels, 2.0. With the ‘no vacancy’ sign road between Polo Flat and the the trucks will carry nine tunnel often needed midweek, even the Snowy 2.0 construction sites. With segments each (rather than three traditionally quiet days of the low the first tunnel boring machine on a traditional semi-trailer) and season have become a rare event. now commissioned, large loads help reduce traffic on the roads. L–R: Cooma Motor Inn; the custom-made segment trailers; Adam Boyd from PHE Tumut. 9
PROJECT UPDATE SNOWY 2.0 Main image: TBM at main access tunnel portal; Joule Ridge works; the Lady Eileen Hudson TBM; works at Tantangara Snowy 2.0 is now in full ceremony, the TBM has moved closer to the rock face. through various stages of final swing, with steady progress The final stage of commissioning preparation and construction of at a number of sites across the support infrastructure needed will see a further seven blind the project. for tunnelling, including the rings installed to push the process water treatment plant and TBM’s cutterhead and shields At Lobs Hole, the Lady Eileen underground. At this point, concrete grouting plant. Hudson tunnel boring machine permanent segment rings will (TBM) is completing the final The first stage of commissioning be installed, and in parallel, stages of commissioning. This the TBM involves installing six progressive installation of the TBM will excavate two separate temporary segment rings, which are the same dimension and remaining gantries as more room tunnels – the main access is made available in the TBM tunnel to the location where shape as the permanent segments that will line the tunnels as they’re cradle. With the 137-metre TBM the underground power station completely underground, the excavated. This stage takes around will be built, followed by the a week, with one ring installed tunnel conveyor will be installed, tailrace tunnel. each day against a thrust frame to allowing the excavated material to After the recent official naming gradually push the 11m cutterhead be removed. 10
Next up is the assembly of the second TBM in preparation for excavation of the cable tunnel. Over recent weeks, more than 57 oversized loads containing components of the second TBM have moved up the mountains for delivery at Lobs Hole. A police escort was required for 27 of the loads – thank you to NSW Police, Transport for NSW and Lampson transporters for facilitating the move, and to local residents JOULE RIDGE for their patience throughout deliveries. The TBM main bearing he bulk earthworks to prepare the Joule Ridge 126-bed T drive, weighing 165 tonnes, was accommodation facility in Cooma are almost complete. The the single heaviest component next stage of the project is underway, with the installation of and needed four prime movers services such as stormwater, sewer, firewater, potable water (two at the front and two at the and power. back) to make the trip. Improvement works by Transport for NSW have been At Tantangara, the headrace completed at the intersection of Solomon Lane, Monaro adit portal is largely complete Highway and Yareen Road to improve access to the site. The and a temporary cofferdam has accommodation modules will begin arriving in late June. been built to mitigate any risk of flooding during construction. The his development will house workers on the Snowy 2.0 T third TBM has started its journey, project working at the Polo Flat segment factory and the with hundreds of deliveries to the Future Generation Joint Venture office. Accommodation will Tantangara site throughout late include 90 single rooms and 36 self-contained units. May and into June. 11
PROJECT UPDATE CONCRETE SEGMENT FACTORY Stored segments at Polo Flat SNOWY 2.0 JOBS P roduction is well until the automatic carousels More activity means more underway at Polo Flat, are ready for operation. After positions are opening with hundreds of huge the mix cures, the segments up across all Snowy 2.0 concrete segments are removed from the mould work fronts. Over 1,000 lined up in the storage and transferred to an outside workers are now involved yard ready to be transported. storage yard, before being in construction of the Viewed from above, the loaded onto trucks for the trip massive pumped-hydro precast segment factory is a to Lobs Hole. project, bringing welcome telling example of the scale opportunities to the region. Once onsite, the segments and complexity of the Snowy Future Generation Joint will be loaded into the tunnel 2.0 project. Venture is looking to fill boring machine and used The Cooma facility is a hive of to line the tunnels, creating more than 150 open roles activity, with up to 100 workers enormous 10 metre diameter at multiple sites including onsite producing segments, rings. Nine concrete segments Lobs Hole, Tantangara and and carrying out final electrical are required to create each Marica for trades people, and mechanical works for ring, with 14,500 rings needed water treatment plant commissioning of carousels for the 27 kilometres of power operators, stores people and the concrete batch plant. waterway tunnels. and labourers. Recruitment Every day more than 20 is ongoing across all sites When fully automated, the for engineers and quality segments emerge from the Polo Flat facility will produce inspectors, as well as manual production line, with 4,500 segments – that’s 500 construction supervisors, output to increase significantly complete rings – every month. tunnelling supervisors, as automated components of With increased truck activity conveyor supervisors and the facility come online. transporting the segments, more. Interested applicants Currently, each segment is cast a temporary traffic signal should head to http:// manually, with the mix poured has been placed in Cooma futuregenerationjv.com. into large steel moulds directly to ensure traffic flows freely au/job-opportunities-1 for from the concrete agitator during peak periods. further information. 12
Jindabyne students at Young Driver training SUPPORTING OUR COMMUNITY Young driver training E stablishing positive According to instructors at The students go through driving behaviour Driving Solutions, who deliver different braking exercises in a is essential for the training, drivers of all ages controlled and safe environment everyone’s safety tend to think, ‘it won’t happen to to better understand their on our roads, me’. The training emphasises that options. particularly in the Snowy driving is the most dangerous They also learn how to scan for Mountains, where drivers face activity most of us will do in trouble approaching intersections unique conditions including our day, and to be mindful of or safety zones, and how to snow and ice, high speeds the risks. make smart decisions to limit and wildlife on the road. The course also helps build distractions and stay focused The Snowy Hydro Young Driver confidence in young drivers on the task of driving. Program is a hands-on course in their ability to handle an Around 250 students will go to prepare learner and emergency situation, and to through the training program in provisional drivers to better learn how long it takes to stop 2021 as part of Snowy Hydro’s handle local conditions. The a vehicle. commitment to the safety and program also addresses A common misconception is wellbeing of young people common myths and any bad that braking hard can cause a living in the Snowy region. habits young drivers may have vehicle to crash or lose control, picked up from but instructors explain this is not their parents. the case when driving current- model cars equipped with ABS. 13
RETAIL RED ENERGY AMBASSADORS Matt Graham World champion freestyle Tell us about winning the You recently spent some time in World Cup title. the Snowy Mountains. What did skier Matt Graham fell in love you get up to? with his sport during family Winning the World Cup title has ski holidays as a child. The always been a goal of mine. It I haven’t been down there in the is considered one of the major off-season for many years, so it self-described adrenaline achievements in our sport, so to was great to go on some hikes and junkie started mogul skiing win it felt amazing! It was such see the mountains. I also spent at the age of seven. a long and tough season for the some time mountain biking around team travelling around the world Jindy and enjoying some quality 2020 was a challenging year – during a pandemic so to finish on food and drinks around town. The how did you adapt your training? top made it all worth it. Main Range walk up Mt Kosciuszko was probably the highlight! Once Australia went into lockdown last April, I purchased some home What’s your focus for 2021? gym equipment to continue my Will we see you on the ski slopes 2021 is the Olympic lead-up year, in Australia this winter? strength and conditioning training. which is always a big year for During the first half of the year, we athletes. My focus is to maximise Yes, and I cannot wait! I will likely were unable to do any skill-based every training opportunity we can be down in the Snowy Mountains training so I watched a lot of old get. I am also studying part-time from mid-July until mid-September. mogul videos and training footage this year, which is keeping me to keep my mind active and in busy in my off-time. ‘ski-mode’. Matt Graham in action. Red Energy is 100% Australian-owned. For more information about its great plans, go to redenergy.com.au or call 131 806 14
Lauren Parker is a medal-winning paratriathlete Lauren Parker Eleven months after a a run session in my racing chair How are you feeling about the is about 10-30km. My week also Tokyo Paralympics? devastating accident ended includes three gym sessions, her triathlon career, Lauren physio and massage. This question is difficult because Parker won a Commonwealth I’ve just had the worst and hardest three weeks I could have Games bronze medal in How was your sport impacted by imagined. I’ve just spent 16 days paratriathlon. The world the pandemic? in hospital due to a complication. champion now has her At the start of 2020 I was ready I was the fittest and strongest I’d sights set on the Tokyo ever been before going to hospital and focused on the 2020 in early April, so it was definitely a Paralympics. Paralympics. I had prepared my major setback in my preparation body and was really on-track. and threw my plan out. However, What does a typical training day When the pandemic hit and the I have overcome far worse, so I’m look like for you? games were postponed, I felt choosing to be positive and just deflated because of all the hard I train three times a day, with 2-3 get the job done. I only have one work I had put in. But I also chose hour sessions and every day is mission for Tokyo and that is to to look at the positives, and that I different. My swim sessions are come home with the gold medal! would be fitter, stronger and faster between 3-5km. Bike sessions with another year of training for the are between 30km-100km and 2021 Paralympics. Red Energy, owned by Snowy Hydro, has a deep connection with Australian skiing and snowboarding and helps to provide power to most of Australia’s snow resort operations. In NSW, Thredbo powers all its major resort operations with an agreement with Red Energy for the supply of 100% renewable electricity to the resort. Red Energy is 100% Australian-owned. For more information about its great plans, go to redenergy.com.au or call 131 806 15
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