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Snowy Mountains Scheme
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The Snowy Mountains Scheme is a hydroelectricity and irrigation complex in south-east Australia. The waters of the Snowy River and its tributary, the Eucumbene, are captured at high elevations and diverted inland to the Murray River and the Murrumbidgee River, through two tunnel systems driven through the Snowy Mountains.
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The Snowy Mountains Scheme is a hydroelectricity and irrigation complex in south-east Australia. The waters of the Snowy River and its tributary, the Eucumbene, are captured at high elevations and diverted inland to the Murray River and the Murrumbidgee River, through two tunnel systems driven through the Snowy Mountains. The water falls 800 metres and travels through large hydro-electric power stations which generate peak-load power for the Australian Capital Territory, New South Wales and Victoria.
The Scheme was completed by 1974, after twenty-five years of construction, and is the largest engineering project undertaken in Australia. The Scheme'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".
Background
The Snowy Mountains Hydro-electric Power Act 1949 gave the Snowy Mountains Hydro-electric Authority the responsibility for the final evaluation, design and construction of the Snowy Mountains Scheme. The plan was to divert the Snowy River to provide increased electricity generating capacity and to provide irrigation water for the dry west. It was "greeted with enthusiasm by the people of Australia" and was seen to be "a milestone towards full national development". In April 1966 the first diversion of water was made from the Snowy River to the Murray River.
Snowy Mountains Hydro-Electric Scheme
The associated Snowy Mountains Hydro-Electric Scheme, is one of the most complex integrated water and hydro-electric power schemes in the world and is listed as a "world-class civil engineering project" by the American Society of Civil Engineers. The scheme interlocks seven power stations and 16 major dams through 145 kilometres of trans-mountain tunnels and 80 kilometres of aqueducts. The history of the Snowy Scheme reveals its important role in building post World War Two Australia.
The scheme virtually reverses the flow of the Snowy River from its natural course toward the ocean and directs it inland. The Scheme is in an area of 5,124 square kilometres, almost entirely within the Kosciuszko National Park. The design of the scheme was modelled on the Tennessee Valley Authority.
The Scheme was managed by the Snowy Mountains Hydro-Electric Authority, now called Snowy Hydro Limited, and took 25 years to build, from 1949 to 1974, at the cost (at that time) of AUD$800 million; a dollar value equivalent in 1999 and 2004 to AUD$6 billion. It employed over 100,000 people from over 30 countries in its construction, providing valuable employment for a large number of recently arrived immigrants, and was important in Australia's post-war economic and social development. Seventy percent of all the workers were migrants. The Scheme built several temporary towns for its construction workers, several of which have become permanent: Cabramurra (the highest town in Australia); and Khancoban. Additionally, the economy of Cooma has been sustained by the Scheme.
During construction of the tunnels, a number of railways were employed to convey spoil from worksites and to deliver personnel, concrete and equipment throughout.
The project used Australia's first transistorised computer; one of the first in the world. Called 'Snowcom', the computer was used from 1960 to 1967.
The Scheme is the largest renewable energy generator in mainland Australia and plays an important role in the operation of the national electricity market, generating approximately 3.5% of the mainland grid's power. However, under a corporatised Snowy Hydro Limited, Snowy Hydro can no longer claim 'renewable' status investing in gas fired generation including open-cycle gas turbines (relatively efficient compared to Australia coal alternatives however not renewable). The Snowy Scheme's primary function is as a water manager however under the corporatised model must deliver dollar dividends to the three shareholder governments - the NSW, Commonwealth and Victorian Governments. During the 2006-2007 Financial Year Snowy Hydro used 'retained earnings' from the Scheme to invest in gas generation as part of a new proposed phase for the Snowy Scheme as a private company in the Australian NEM. This directly impacts on water security for the Murray Darling and Murrumbidgee Irrigation areas and also on environmental flows for the Snowy River.
The Scheme also has a significant role in providing security of water flows to the Murray-Darling Basin. The Scheme provides approximately 2,100 gigalitres of water a year to the Basin, providing additional water for an irrigated agriculture industry worth about $5 bn per annum, representing more than 40% of the gross value of the nation's agricultural production. Australia has moved towards water trading and a privatised water market which has placed additional stress on the nation's agricultural produce. Snowy Hydro trades in the derivatives market including irrigation products that conflict with delivering water for the nation's food bowl. Bulk water purchases are possible for corporate agriculture including Cubbie Station that blocks the natural flows into the Upper Murray River forcing farmers to rely on reduced inflows and transfers from the stressed Snowy Scheme Storages. This directly impacts on water available for the environment; for the Snowy River, the Ramsar Wetlands such as the Macquarie Marshes, Menindee Lakes and Lakes Coorong and Alexandrina at the mouth of the Murray River.
Environmental concerns
The original plan was for 99% of the water of the Snowy River's natural flow to be diverted by the Scheme below Lake Jindabyne. Releases from the Scheme were only based on the needs of riparian users and took no account of ecosystem needs; it soon became known that the lower reaches of the river were in environmental crisis. An extensive public campaign led to the Snowy Water Inquiry being established in January 1998. The Inquiry reported to the New South Wales and Victorian Governments in October of that year, recommending an increase to 15% of natural flows. The two Governments were equivocal about this target; aside from economic considerations there was a view that the health of the Murray is more important than that of the Snowy and any extra environmental flows are better used there instead. The Snowy River has the potential for international benchmarking on environmental flows however needs intergovernmental cooperation and understanding of its history.
In 1999 the seat of East Gippsland was won in the Victorian election by an independent Craig Ingram, based in large part on his campaign to improve Snowy flows. In 2000, Victoria and NSW agreed to a long-term target of 28%, requiring $375 million of investment to offset losses to inland irrigators. In August 2002 flows were increased to 6%, with a target of 21% within 10 years. However, by October 2008 it is evident that the return of environmental flows to the Snowy River will be in fact less than 4% of natural flow with respective governments arguing the Snowy River needs to "payback" the "Mowamba Borrowings".
The Australian Constitution is unclear on the rights of the environment to water enabling governments to legislate to make the environment 'pay' for water as is the case for the Snowy River. The Snowy River continues to pay the price for over-allocation of water in the Murray-Darling system and Murrumbidgee Irrigation Area (MIA), the short fall for farming coming from the Snowy Scheme storages at the expense of the Snowy River environmental flows. Meanwhile, the introduction of irrigation licences, then an interim water trading market and water trading has further robbed the environment of water through escalating water prices. The over 450 levees and dams on the Upper Murray-Darling have simply taken water from the Murray and placed more stress on the Snowy River.
Public Fight to Stop the Sale of Snowy Hydro
From November 2005 a People Power campaign driven initially from the Monaro and Snowy Mountains building to an Australia-wide campaign forced the Prime Minister to withdraw from the proposed sale of Snowy Hydro. The Snowy River Shire Council was the first to vote in favour of a "no sale" of the Snowy Scheme and this led to over 100 Mayors from around NSW to vote against the sale. Key politicians including Greens Sylvia Hale in the NSW Government, the late Peter Andren, Independent for Calare, Tony Windsor Independent for New England, Greens Senator Bob Brown and National Party Senator Kay Hull rallied, drawing in farmers, conservationists and ordinary Australians from around the country to stop the sale of the Snowy Scheme.
Ongoing fight for environmental flows for the Snowy River
Concerned water managers, conservationists, politicians and farmers continue to advocate for the return of environmental flows to the Snowy River. The Dalgety District and Community Association now holds an annual 'Snowy River Day' on 31 August to commemorate when the three governments, Victoria, NSW and the Commonwealth with high profile former Australian Conservation Foundation President, and now Federal Environment Minister Peter Garrett oversaw the release of water from the Moonbah or Mowamba River, a tributary of the Snowy River. Within two years, Snowy Hydro Limited 're-commissioned' the Mowamba Aqueduct robbing vital living flows from the Snowy River, causing the river to 'flat line'. Seasonal variable flows are essential to river ecology including flushing flows to support vital ecosystems for the Australian platypus and native Australian Bass, the species over which Craig Ingram initially fought for flows into the Snowy River and achieved a seat as Independent for Gippsland East in the Victorian State Parliament.
A major spillway upgrade is being constructed to facilitate these flows, however, as late as January 2008 Snowy Hydro had not removed the 'coffer dam' obstructing environmental flows into the Snowy River and does not plan to remove the dam until 2009, not affording the Snowy River of living water flows during the Spring 2008 snow melt.
Proponents argue that the Snowy Scheme must be placed under a National Independent Water Manager.
Power stations
As of 2006 there were seven power stations. These are in chronological order :
- Guthega - completed in 1954
- Tumut 1 - completed in 1958
- Tumut 2 - completed in 1961
- Blowering - completed in 1967
- Murray 1 - completed in 1967
- Murray 2 - completed in 1969
- Tumut 3 - completed in 1974
Recent developments
In late 2005 there was a proposal by the NSW government that the federal and state governments should sell their shares in Snowy Hydro Limited. The proposal was abandoned in 2006 after the federal government refused to agree with the proposal.
In 2007, due to the recent drought in Australia, water levels in the scheme were their lowest on record. Credit rating agency Moodys downgraded Snowy Hydro's outlook from stable to negative within one month.
External links
- / Laurence Failes — as digitised and held by the National Library of Australia
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- / Siobhan McHugh — An historic account about the multinational workforce that built the Snowy Mountain Hydro-Electric scheme
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