Snowy Hydro has begun permanent concrete pouring in Snowy 2.0’s underground powerhouse in Australia, as crews prepare for the installation of its six reversible turbines.
Excavation of the machine and transformer halls is more than 90% complete, and all six connector tunnels between the halls have been excavated. Crews are preparing to install major components, including inlet valves and spiral casings.
Over the coming months, construction crews will place the first of more than 1400 precast concrete elements that will house generating equipment. All six reversible turbines have arrived in Australia, while the project’s high-voltage transformers, each weighing more than 400 tonnes, are undergoing final testing.
Snowy Hydro chief executive Dennis Barnes said the transition towards fit-out required extensive logistical coordination and quality assurance.
“Fit-out in our underground powerhouses is an extremely precise and detail-oriented process,” Barnes said. “Transitioning into the fit-out phase of an underground station the size of the Sydney Opera House is a landmark engineering achievement that we’re all extremely proud of.”
Snowy 2.0 is designed to provide 350GWh of energy storage. Snowy Hydro says it will store excess wind and solar generation and has a design life of 150 years.
The construction update comes as Snowy Hydro considers a reassessment of the project’s costs. In October 2025, it instructed principal contractor Future Generation Joint Venture to undertake the reassessment. Snowy Hydro said it had received advice from independent construction cost experts and was considering the commercial and practical implications before advising the Australian Government.
