SMEC Holdings (previously known as Snowy Mountains Engineering Corporation)

Full description

Establishment

The origin, history and main business activities of the Snowy Mountains Engineering Corporation Victoria Pty Ltd (now known as SMEC Holdings Limited) have not been researched by the Public Record Office.

The company is assumed to be an offshoot of the Snowy Mountains Engineering Corporation (SMEC) Ltd. According to the National Archives of Australia (NAA), SMEC was established in 1970 by a Commonwealth Act, the Snowy Mountains Engineering Act 1970 (39/1970). SMECs functions included providing engineering advice in relation to water transmission and hydroelectricity. SMECs predecessor was the engineering component of the Snowy Mountains Hydro-Electric Authority. SMEC became a public company in 1989 pursuant to the Snowy Mountains Engineering Corporation (Conversion into Public Company) Act 1989 (Commonwealth). SMEC Ltd, as it was known after 1989, was sold in 1993 pursuant to the Snowy Mountains Engineering Corporation Sale Act 1993 (Commonwealth).

The company purchased the Dams Design, Dams Surveillance and Project Management businesses from Rural Water Corporation (VA 2338) in 1995. The purchase occurred within the context of a restructuring of the Victorian rural water supply industry. The restructuring meant that the Rural Water Corporation was abolished, several new agencies were created and some functions were privatised.

Prior to the purchase, the Rural Water Corporation had acquired Dams Design, Dams Surveillance and Project Management services through its HydroTechnology Division. Other components of the HydroTechnology business were sold to Sinclair Knight Merz (VA 3748) and Thiess (VA 3752).

SMEC was purchased by Surbana Jurong Private Limited in 2016.

Further Information

More information about SMEC Victoria Pty Ltd and associated companies will be available from the Australian Securities Commission. Information about relevant Commonwealth government agencies is available from the NAA. The NAA Commonwealth Agency (CA) numbers are as follows:

• SMEC Ltd: CA 3568
• Snowy Mountains Hydro-Electric Authority: CA 75