Snowy 2.0 Pumped Storage Power Station
Pumped-hydro battery in New South Wales, Australia / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Snowy 2.0 Pumped Storage Power Station or Snowy Hydro 2.0 or simply Snowy 2.0 is a pumped-hydro battery megaproject in New South Wales, Australia. The dispatchable generation project expands upon the original Snowy Mountains Scheme (ex post facto Snowy 1.0) connecting two existing dams through a 27-kilometre (17 mi) underground tunnel and a new, underground pumped-hydro power station.[2] Construction began in 2019.[2] It is expected to supply 2.2 gigawatts of capacity and about 350,000 megawatt hours of large-scale storage to the national electricity market.[3][4] It is the largest renewable energy project under construction in Australia.[5] It includes one of the largest and deepest cavern excavations ever undertaken.[6] It also includes the longest tunnels at 27 kilometres in length, of any pumped-hydro station ever built.
Snowy 2.0 Pumped Storage Power Station | |
---|---|
Country | Australia |
Location | Snowy Mountains |
Coordinates | 35°47′11″S 148°26′40″E |
Status | Under construction |
Construction began | 2019; 5 years ago (2019) |
Construction cost | AUD 12 billion[1] |
Owner(s) | Snowy Hydro |
External links | |
Website | https://www.snowyhydro.com.au/ |
It is designed for grid stabilization; to be a backup at times of peak demand and for when solar and wind energy are not providing power.[7] It provides invaluable firming capability. Snowy Hydro acts like a giant battery by absorbing, storing, and dispatching energy.[3] Snowy 2.0 can be ‘switched on’ very quickly.[8] The battery is designed to operate for up to 175 hours of temporary supply.[9] It is Australia's largest energy project,[10] estimated to cost 12 billion Australian dollars. By 2023, AU$4.3 billion had been spent.[1] The project is led by public company Snowy Hydro Limited.[10] When complete it is expected to have a large impact on the price and reliability of electric power.[11]