Construction |


Right: Rendering of the Yagen First-Stage Hydropower Station after completion


storage project will help support completion of the demonstration zone by 2028, expanding flexible capacity for large-scale renewable integration in western China while contributing to national carbon peak and carbon neutrality objectives.


Snowy 2.0 passes 70% completion On the other side of the Asia-Pacific region, Australia’s


flagship pumped storage development, the Snowy 2.0 project, has also reached an important construction milestone with the commissioning of its fourth tunnel boring machine. The TBM, named Monica after Tumut High School student and First Nations art and storytelling competition winner Monica Brimmer, was officially powered up during a ceremony attended by Australia’s Minister for Climate Change and Energy, Chris Bowen. During the event, Brimmer initiated the first rotation of the machine’s 12m cutterhead. The new TBM has been designed specifically to operate in the Snowy Mountains’ complex geology and will soon begin tunnelling from the Marica worksite near Kiandra. Its primary role will be excavating part of the project’s 17km headrace tunnel, including sections passing through the Long Plain Fault Zone, considered one of the most challenging geological areas encountered during the development. Construction also continues across several major


worksites in New South Wales. At the Lobs Hole site, nearly one kilometre underground, the focus is shifting from large-scale excavation to preparation for the fit-out of the underground power station cavern. The cavern has a footprint comparable to that of the Sydney Opera House. So far, 46 permanent concrete pours have been completed at the site. In total, more than 733,000m3


of material have been


excavated from underground caverns using drill- and-blast techniques. Several of these construction techniques build on methods originally developed during construction of the historic Snowy Mountains Scheme, one of Australia’s most iconic infrastructure projects. Another key element of the Snowy 2.0 scheme recently achieved a structural milestone with completion of the transition tunnel crown at the


32 | April 2026 | www.waterpowermagazine.com


Tantangara intake. The structure forms the point where water from Tantangara Reservoir will enter the Snowy 2.0 system before travelling through a network of tunnels to the underground power stations located nearly one kilometre beneath the Snowy Mountains. Construction of the crown required approximately 450m3 160m2


of concrete,


of formwork and 80 tonnes of steel reinforcement. At 3.7m thick, the structure has been designed to withstand the substantial hydraulic pressures associated with large pumped storage schemes. Most of the intake infrastructure will eventually lie beneath the reservoir water level once the system becomes operational, making the completion of above-water construction a critical stage in the project schedule. The project is being delivered by Future Generation


Joint Venture as principal contractor for Snowy Hydro. With the commissioning of the fourth TBM, overall construction progress on the Snowy 2.0 project has now surpassed the 70% completion mark.


Queensland advances Borumba


investigations In Australia’s Queensland state, development of another major pumped storage project is moving forward after receiving Commonwealth approval for exploratory works. Queensland Hydro has obtained regulatory clearance under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation (EPBC) Act to undertake geotechnical investigations for the proposed Borumba pumped storage project. The approval allows the company to begin exploratory drilling and site investigations aimed at confirming geological conditions and reducing design uncertainty ahead of any final investment decision. Data gathered during the investigations will be used to refine the project’s detailed design and inform an updated business case. Queensland Hydro Executive Chair Mark Irwin emphasised the importance of early technical investigations for large-scale infrastructure projects. “The Borumba Pumped Hydro Project is a critical component of Queensland’s future energy mix, and the Commonwealth regulatory approval is a significant step forward in its development,” Irwin said. “The proposed


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32  |  Page 33  |  Page 34  |  Page 35  |  Page 36  |  Page 37  |  Page 38  |  Page 39  |  Page 40  |  Page 41  |  Page 42  |  Page 43  |  Page 44  |  Page 45