SNOWY RIVER HYDRO SCHEME VAST UNDERTAKING

Chronicle (Levin), 29 December 1949, Page 5

SNOWY RIVER HYDRO SCHEME VAST UNDERTAKING

( N.Z.P.A. -

—Reuter,

, Covvriaht)

SYDNEY, Dec. 28. When the Governor-General (Mr. McKell) exploded a charge of dynamite 011 the hanks of the Eucumbene, a tributary of the Snowy River, near Mt. Kosciusko, on Octoher 18, he hegan the Snowy Mountains hydro-eiectric works which wlien.completed will be as big as America's fennessee Valley works, the world's biggest engineering ' undertaking, bigger than Holland's £100,000,000 •iob of damming and reclaiiming its 'Zuider Zee. Estimated cost £200,000,000. Cost of equipment £20,000,000. Completion time 25 years. Length of tunnels 86 miles. Nuimber of employees JJ000. Weekly wages bill £75,000. Mr. William Hudson, as Commissioner of the Snowy Mountains Hvdro-Electric Authoritv, will direct tliis job. He is one of the inost capable and experienced civil engineers in Australia. He has lielped build 10 dams in Australia, New Zealand and Scotland. He is a master of detail. He is conqpletely tireless. The Snowy Eiver story starts in earnest on July 1, 1949, when Federal Parliament passed the Snowy Mountains Hydro-Elei-trie Power Aet, and the Federal Government followed this in August,'1949, by "setting up the Industrial Energy Policy Comraittee under the eliairmanship of world-famous psysieist Professor Mareus Oliphant. The Aet set in .rnotion a great projeet — the di version and drainage of the Snowy Eiver to produce power for defenee (atomic energy) and power and irrigation for south-eastern Australia. The Snowy Mountains Authority plans to build four towns, seven onajor dams, 86 miles of tunnels, 485 miles of racelmes, 14 power stations.to generate 2,750,000 kilowatts. "We should be able to start largeseale eonstruetion on the projeet by this time lrext year, when Ave hope to liave at least 100 engineers working," says Mr. Hudson. "Much will depend on the speed witli which we collect labour, maehinery, and materials. We hope to cupplement our Australian labour force with European niigrants; they're good workers and the climate will suit them. We're scouring the woild at present for more than £1,000,000 worth of lieavv earth-moving equipment. Wc've ordered 40 tractor-dozers for a start, lmt they will only seratoh the surface. We'll need at least .100 tractor-dozers on the projeet and at least 12 large 'eableways' (flying fox equipment to span gorges). Before we're fmished the total cost of equipment for the projeet

will be more than £20,000,000. If we get a good run, we hope to produce the first hydro-eleetric power from the projeet by 1957. We expect to eoine in about then with about 300,000' kilowatts. Radio Communications "I hope to reduc.e paper work on the projeet as much as possible. I know other engineers liave said this and failed, but it's still my plan. I also intend to use radio throughout the area, including portable radios, so that work gangs keep in touch with their hase and with headquarters, and direct phones between ihy headquarters and Svdney, Canberra and Melbourne, ' ' Mr. Hudson and his men will divert the Snowy Eiver into the Murray Eiver by building the Jindabyne Dam and a 25-mile tunnel from that dam under the mountains, to the Murray Eiver. This tunnel, as* it passes almost under Mt. Kosciusko itself (Australia 's highest peak) will be nearlv 4000 feet underground. From the Gnowy-Murray divqrsion scheme, the Murray will reeeive a net gain of about 400,000 acre feet cf water a vear. 0 Tunnels Through Granite I The great through-mountain tunnels will provide some of the toughest work for engineers and men. These tunnels will be through granite. They will be 40 feet high and wide enongh for two 4ft . 8-3>-in. track railwav trains. Mr. Hudson 's men will drill the tunnels from either side of the mountains and meet in the middle, way underground. They will drill this wav: a "Jumbo," a big, metal contraption on rails, will carrv the drillers to the rock face. The drillers will nercussion drill the rock for firing. Shot. men will place the gelignite charges and eleetrically tlre them. Then an eleetrically operated machine shovel on rails will move in and load the rock into an electric train. As the tunnels penetrate into the mountains the electric trains will h%ve to travel fartlier and farther to get tlie rock out. "This is a big problein," Mr. Hudson explains. "To cope with it speed is essential. The electric trains will liave to travel at 35 m.p.h. to get the spoil out." | Experts have estimated that the Snowy Mountains Authority, when completed, will provide enough water to irrigiate an additional 3,500.000 acres in the Murrumbidgee and Murray Valleys. They claim that this new land should settle between 50,000 and 100,000 people, who will get their living mainly froon fruit growing, dairying, and fat Lamb raising.