By lyndamyer
Including world’s first conversion of a gold mine into a hydroelectric pumped storage facility, construction process of the main access tunnel for Australia’s Kidston pumped storage hydro project has been completed.
The purpose of excavating this tunnel, which was dug in high quality rock conditions, is due to be providing permanent access to the power station cavern, so currently it gives access for the power station cavern lower bench excavation works and fit-out.
Considering that in September 2022 due to an incident water ingress was happened at the north Queensland jobsite, Genex Power decided to realign the tunnel away from the zone of fractured material encountered in the original tunnel heading. Althogh this plan caused an additional 436m for the realigned tunnel, it decreased the overall risk of the underground works. The date of commencing the tunneling process on the realigned route by project’s EPC contractor (a McConnell Dowell and John Holland Group joint venture) was December 2022.
As a major landmark for the underground works, the tunnel completion marks a well result for overall de-risking of the project.
According to Genex CEO Craig Francis: “The completion of the realigned tunnel was a major milestone. We are extremely pleased with the way in which the Genex and EPC contractor teams responded to the water ingress event last year, completing the redesign and recommencing production with minimal delay. This has limited the time and cost impacts of the water ingress event on the overall project.”
He also added: “Today’s milestone is extremely significant, as it enables Genex and its stakeholders to draw a line under one of the material outstanding risk items for the underground works. Importantly it moves us one step closer toward commencing the power station fit-out works ahead of energization later in 2024.”
Last year, Mott MacDonald principal engineer Clare Onal gave a presentation on the project to the annual joint BTS and MinSouth meeting.
