Snowy 2.0 dig shut down after shrapnel flies from fan

Angela Macdonald-Smith and Jenny Wiggins

Feb 27, 2025 – 3.20pm

Subscribe to gift this article

Gift 5 articles to anyone you choose each month when you subscribe.

Already a subscriber?

Snowy Hydro is demanding leadership changes at the Italian construction venture building the $12 billion mega-project in NSW after an exploding ventilation fan brought underground work to a standstill.

Shrapnel from the 2.5-metre fan went flying into a surrounding area and the Australian Workers Union claimed it was only “sheer fortune” that no one was killed in the incident early on Tuesday at the massive pumped-hydro renewable energy project under the Snowy Mountains.

Angela Macdonald-Smith writes on the resources industry with a focus on energy, including gas, oil, electricity and renewables.

Jenny Wiggins writes on business, specialising in infrastructure, telecommunications and transport.