RLB's expertise in cost management and project programming for Lake Onslow Pumped Hydro Scheme

PUMPED HYDRO SCHEME

The Pumped Hydro Scheme at Lake Onslow in New Zealand, managed by Mott Macdonald, underscores RLB’s proficiency in cost management, quantity surveying, project programming, and delay claim analysis.

Appointed to provide comprehensive cost and schedule reports for the feasibility study, RLB is integral to this groundbreaking initiative. The project includes a dam at 760 meters above sea level, a dam wall between 70-90 meters depending on the chosen option, a head race tunnel, a tunnel bored through rock, an underground cavern for power generation and reverse pumping, and a lower reservoir at Teviot River.

Expected to provide between 3 and 8.5 TWh, the Lake Onslow pumped hydro scheme—also known as the ‘NZ Battery Project’—aims to:

• Investigate the ability of pumped hydro to address New Zealand’s dry year problem by storing energy that can be converted to electricity during dry year events.
• Provide a backup to ensure electricity supply meets demand when solar, wind, and existing hydro generation are insufficient.
• Offer immediate power when there is a sudden shortfall in the electricity market.

RLB’s expertise in construction planning and scheduling ensures the effective realisation of this critical infrastructure project, delivering detailed construction project schedules and building construction schedules tailored to the unique demands of renewable energy projects.