Tumut 2 Boosts Snowy Output

1 May 1962 The Canberra Times

Tumut 2, the second of five hydro-electric developments on the Tunut River, will be opened officially next Saturday, May 5, when it will add its power output to that already being produced by other stations of the Snowy scheme already in operation.  

This will bring the total installed capacity of Snowy Mountains stations to 660,000 kW.

It is situated about six miles downstream from Tumut 1.

I Water released from Tumut 1 will be diverted by a concrete gravity dam through a tunnel three miles in length to Tumut 2 power station.

After discharge from the turbines, the water will be returned to the Tumut Rivert through a four mile tail water tunnel.

The contract for the civil works was let in June, 1958, to a group of American companies, Kaiser-Perini-Morrison-Raymond, and the work has been completed just about on time.

A huge machine hall 800 feet underground houses four 70,000 kW turbo-generating units.

The units are connected by aluminium busbars to two banks of three single phase transformers in the transformer hall located adjacent to and at an angle to the machine hall.

The 330 kV cables connect the transformers with a surface cable yard on the right bank of the Tumut River.

From the cable yard, the power is transmitted by over head lines to the upper Tumut switching station.

The power station is approached from Cabramurra, along Goat Ridge Road, to a tunnel on the right bank of the Tumut River.

This tunnel is 3,600 feet long with a downgrade of 12. per cent.

Where the access tunnel enters the machine hall, a large assembly bay is provided in addition to a workshop and a storage area.

A four storey building at the opposite end of the machine hall accommodates the control room, offices and special apparatus.