Call for audit of environmental impacts of Snowy 2.0 on Kosciuszko National Park 

In response to revelations about the environmental damage inflicted by Snowy Hydro’s bogged tunnel boring machine (see https://www.abc.net.au/news/2023-02-13/snowy-2.0-tunnel-boring-machine-grinds-to-halt-and/101968974 ), the National Parks Association of NSW (NPA) is calling on the NSW Government to launch an urgent review of the potential breaches of the Snowy 2.0 project’s Conditions of Environmental Approval.  

‘It is clear that Snowy Hydro Ltd and the NSW Department of Planning and Environment have been understating the severe risks of Snowy 2.0 and its damage to Kosciuszko National Park’, stated NPA CEO Gary Dunnett.   

‘The latest incident involving tunnel boring machine Florence, which has created a large artificial sinkhole in the national park and been stuck for nearly a year, confirms that this massive construction project should never have been allowed in a national park.’ 

The Snowy 2.0 Environmental Impact Statement stated that the damage to Kosciuszko’s surface and ground waters would be insignificant despite streamflow drawdowns of up to 50 metres.  There was no mention of the possibility of sinkholes or their potential for additional impacts on Snowy catchments. 

‘It is past time for a comprehensive independent review of this flawed project, including the environmental damage it is wreaking across the fragile and irreplaceable national landscapes of our alpine park’, Mr Dunnett concluded.   

ENDS 

Media Contacts: 

Gary Dunnett, NPA CEO, Ted Woodley, NPA Executive Committee Member 

(02) 9299 0000 

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