Australia’s Snowy 2.0 pumped storage hydro expansion project has commissioned its fourth tunnel boring machine (TBM), marking a major construction milestone as overall project completion exceeds 70%.
The TBM, named Monica in recognition of Tumut High School student and First Nations art and storytelling competition winner Monica Brimmer, was officially powered up during an on-site ceremony. Australia’s Climate Change and Energy Minister Chris Bowen attended the event, where Monica Brimmer initiated the first rotation of the machine’s 12-metre cutterhead.
TBM Monica has been designed to operate in the Snowy Mountains’ complex and variable geology. The machine will commence tunnelling from the Marica worksite near Kiandra in the coming weeks. Its primary task will be to excavate part of the 17-kilometre headrace tunnel, including sections passing through the Long Plain Fault Zone, one of the project’s most challenging geological areas.
Progress continues across other Snowy 2.0 worksites in New South Wales. At the Lobs Hole site, located almost one kilometre underground, construction activity is transitioning from large-scale excavation to preparation for the fit-out of the underground power station cavern. The facility has a footprint comparable to the Sydney Opera House.
To date, 46 permanent concrete pours have been completed at the site. More than 733,000 cubic metres of material have been excavated from underground caverns using drill-and-blast methods, equivalent to approximately 293 Olympic-sized swimming pools. Several of these techniques build on methods originally developed during construction of the historic Snowy Mountains Scheme.
The Snowy 2.0 project currently employs more than 5,200 workers across four major construction fronts. Investment in the regional economy has exceeded AUD 300 million, supporting local businesses and supply chains in the Snowy Mountains region.
