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As you enjoy the immense natural beauty of the mountains on the Roof of Australia tour in the Australian Alps, it is impossible not to notice and be impressed by the engineering marvel of the Snowy Mountains Hydro-electric Scheme.
December 2009
The Snowy Mountains Hydro-electric Scheme is one of the most complex integrated water and hydro-electric power schemes in the world. The Scheme collects and stores the water that would normally flow east to the coast and diverts it through transmountain tunnels and power stations. The water is then released into the Murray and Murrumbidgee Rivers for irrigation.
The Scheme took 25 years to build and was completed in 1974. More than 100,000 people from over 30 countries came to work in the mountains to make true a vision of diverting water to farms to feed a growing nation and to build power stations to generate renewable electricity for homes and industries.
16 major dams, seven major power stations (two of them underground), a pumping station, 145kms of interconnected transmountain tunnels and 80kms of aqueducts were constructed. Even before the Scheme was completed, it was named as one of the civil engineering wonders of the modern world.
The system's construction is seen by many as a defining point in Australia's history, and an important symbol of Australia's identity as an independent, multicultural and resourceful country.
The scheme has a generating capacity of 3,756 megawatts and it generates an average of 4,500 gigawatt hours of energy per annum.
The Scheme is the largest renewable energy generator in mainland Australia and plays a pivotal role in the operation of the national electricity market, generating approximately 3.5% of the mainland grid's power and up to 17% of south-east Australia’s power.
Snowy Hydro currently provides over 70% of all renewable energy that is available to the eastern mainland grid of Australia, as well as providing fast response power to light up the morning and evening rush hours of Sydney, Brisbane, Canberra, Melbourne and Adelaide.
The Scheme provides approximately 2,100 gigalitres of water a year to the Murray Basin, providing additional water for an irrigated agriculture industry worth about $5 billion per annum, representing more than 40% of the gross value of the nation's agricultural production.
The Snowy Hydro Scheme - History
The Snowy Hydro Scheme - How It Works
The Snowy Hydro Scheme - The People
The Snowy Hydro Scheme - The Environment
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