By Lynda Myer
Following that the TBM faced hard rock, tunneling process on Snowy Hydro 2.0’s headrace tunnel has stopped.
According to Snowy Hydro: “Progress slowed last week because of very hard rock and the Snowy 2.0 project team stopped TBM Florence because the rock was pinching on the machine’s shield. We are currently investigating the best way to relieve this pressure prior to recommencing excavation.”
Additionally, as the company stated, with daily advancement of 12m, TBM Florence had been ramping up excavating the headrace tunnel recently.
Considering that the digging process of the headrace tunnel was halted after a surface depression developed while the machine was transitioning from soft material into harder rock conditions in December 2022, this is the second time the TBM has been stopped on the Australian pumped hydro project. In December 2023 TBM Florence relaunched following ground stabilization works.
In May last year, Snowy Hydro CEO Dennis Barnes said: “The project faced a two-year delay and, after a project reset, in October Snowy Hydro and Future Generation JV, comprising Webuild and its subsidiaries Lane and Clough, became a single project team.”
Connecting Tantangara Reservoir with Talbingo Reservoir through 27km of tunnels and a power station with pumping capabilities, Snowy 2.0 is Australia’s largest renewable energy project.
