Higher electricity bills if Snowy 2.0 hydro not built, says Frydenberg

Despite costing up to $4.5bn, the feasibility study for 'Australia's biggest battery' finds it would still be economically viable

Australians would pay more for electricity and have more volatile supply if the Snowy 2.0 pumped hydropower project is not built, Josh Frydenberg has said.

The energy and environment minister has strongly argued for the necessity of the scheme in an opinion piece for the Australian Financial Review, despite the feasibility study revealing that its estimated cost had blown out by more than $2bn to between $3.8bn and $4.5bn.