Plans to construct a 5 GW/120 GWh pumped hydro power storage system in Queensland’s Pioneer Valley have obtained a constructive enhance with geotechnical investigations revealing the location is nicely suited to dam and tunnel building.
From pv journal Australia
An investigative drilling program in Australia’s northeastern state of Queensland has strengthened the suitability of a web site to host a proposed $12 billion pumped hydro power storage mission.
State government-owned Queensland Hydro is growing the Pioneer-Burdekin mission within the Pioneer Valley on the central Queensland coast, about 70 kilometers west of Mackay. According to the corporate, the drilling program revealed the presence of very sturdy, coarse competent granite rock, proving that the location is a perfect location for the development of a dam, tunnels, and probably a number of underground multi-turbine powerhouses.
“Our geotechnical investigations have proven excellent, excessive power, very high-quality granite all through the proposed mission web site,” Queensland Hydro CEO Kieran Cusack stated.
Cusack stated investigations are ongoing however the high quality of the preliminary core samples might open up wider choices for mission design, together with potential capability will increase, and will additionally result in an improved mission schedule whether it is accepted.
The drilling was carried out by Mackay-based firm Twin Hills Engineering, with assessments carried out by international engineering outfit WSP and Australian agency SMEC. Currently, 33 boreholes and 20 take a look at pits have been accomplished within the investigations drilled in 850 meters.
Core samples revealed two predominant kinds of rock on the web site which Queensland authorities geologist Tony Knight stated gave the impression to be very sturdy, succesful and stable rock.
“This is precisely the kind of stone wanted for these tasks for sturdy foundations and stability,” he stated.
The outcomes evaluate favorably with the location of the troubled Snowy 2.0 pumped hydro mission delivered in New South Wales.
The web site accommodates greater than 20 kinds of rock and the mission has been affected by delays, the most recent of which noticed Florence’s tunnel boring machine caught in “very tough and abrasive rock” and the developer stated it was not but may give a timetable for when this can occur. proceed drilling.
This improvement comes after the 2000-ton Florence, considered one of three tunnel boring machines deployed within the 2.2 GW enlargement of the prevailing 4.1 GW Snowy Mountain pumped hydro scheme, final 12 months was buried for months in gentle and moist soil.
The Snowy 2.0 mission isn’t anticipated to be operational till 2029.
The first section of the Pioneer-Burdekin pumped hydro mission is estimated to be accomplished in 2032, with the ultimate section operational in 2035.
Author: Ken Braganza
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