The team at McElligotts recently had the pleasure of working on several penstocks located in Tumut 1 Power Station – a part of the Snowy Mountains Hydro Scheme in New South Wales. This job saw our team removing hazardous lead based paint and corrosion from the external penstocks 3 & 4 – each 2.5 metres in diameter.
We had to carry out our work during a power outage at the station, meaning we only had a short window of time in which to complete the task. We began by erecting scaffolds around the penstocks for access, as well as setting up a frame for encapsulation, air monitoring and waste management. Once the encapsulation was installed, we used a Hepa filter dust extraction unit to manage any lead dust particles that may escape during the abrasive blasting process. This was done to protect our workers and the power station’s crew.
With the abrasive blasting complete and the penstocks’ exteriors returned to their original surface, we used a vacuum unit to thoroughly remove any lead waste that was left over. Our final task was then to apply a primer, intermediate and final protective coating of paint per the Snowy Hydro paint specifications.
We would like to thank Snowy Hydro Limited for giving us the opportunity to work on this important project. On average, the Snowy Hydro power stations produce 4,500 gigawatt hours of renewable energy each year. Maintaining the penstocks is an essential step in ensuring that Snowy Hydro can continue operating at full capacity and provide power for the one million homes and businesses that they service.
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