SMEC's expertise and experience in the design of hydropower generating and pumping stations comes from the direct involvement of its present staff in the design from conceptual stage through to detailed design and construction of many projects over the last 30 years.

Power plants which have been fully designed by SMEC range in size from very small microstations such as the 125 kW Huai Kui Mang plant in Thailand to very large projects such as the 2400 MW Wabo power station in Papua New Guinea.

SMEC's hydropower design experience includes:

• surface generating stations such as many of those in the Snowy Mountains Scheme in Australia, the Khao Laem project in Thailand, the Champagne project in Mauritius, the Kenyir Dam project in Trengganu State in Malaysia and the Batang Ai project in Sarawak
• underground generating stations such as Tumut 1 and Tumut 2 plants in Australia
• pumped storage stations such as the Australian projects Tumut 3, Wivenoe, Bendeela in the Shoalhaven Scheme and Kangaroo Valley
• pumping stations such as Jindabyne and Burrawang plants in Australia.

As part of hydropower and water resources development there is also a need for sound and cost-effective design of intake towers in reservoirs, intake structures and associated trash racks, and outlet structures. SMEC provides a complete range of design services for structures of these types, including:

• consideration of foundations 
• hydraulic behaviour 
• flow-induced vibration, and 
• static and dynamic structural design.