Snowy Hydro says permanent cloud seeding in the Snowy Mountains means Riverina irrigators will now have more secure water access.
Managing Director Terry Charlton says during a trial only selected weather systems were chosen for seeding, but now it will take place in every productive event across the catchment.
Mr Charlton says the seeding’s environmental impacts will continue to be monitored, despite the trial showing no adverse affects.
And he is confident of its benefits.
“If we go back into drought and given that cloud seeding increases the snow pack by 14 per cent, it can be much more in some events, that means the drought year will have additional inflows that we would not otherwise have,” he said.
“Which means in the subsequent year, we won’t be in a position where we have to reduce our releases under the water licence to the irrigators.”
Snowy Hydro does not expect high country dam management to change significantly with the introduction of permanent cloud seeding.
The New South Wales Government expects to introduce legislation before the end of the year, enabling the permanent seeding.
Mr Charlton says downstream residents should not be concerned by fuller high country storages.
“They’re not so full that the event of cloud seeding would push us to a point where it became a significant problem because quite frankly, the variability of the inflows from nature and normal summer flows are substantially larger than the variability that comes from the increased seeding activity in winter, and then spring run off,” he said.
Snowy Hydro says although permanent cloud seeding in the Snowy Mountains will lead to increased electricity generation, its benefit will be for the wider community.
Mr Charlton says it will cost $1.5m a year.
“I couldn’t honestly say that we’re getting a terrific return on our investment,” he said.
“It justifies the cost, yes, but we also look at it from the point of view that we’re understanding something that’s important in regards to climate change outlook.
“It’s also important to the ski fields, tourism and other related multiplier affects.
“We see a community benefit, very substantially.”
