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In short: A proposed undersea electricity project connecting Tasmania to the mainland is under threat due to increasing costs, with Tasmania’s government flagging it wants to renegotiate the terms of the deal
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What’s next? Tasmania’s premier says he has spoken to Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, and discussions about alternative funding are continuing
This is the best summary I could come up with:
Tasmania’s premier says the cost of the multi-billion-dollar Marinus Link undersea power cable project has blown out — and has warned it does not make sense for his state at “any price”.
Speaking at a press conference today, Premier Jeremy Rockliff said the Tasmanian government had now been advised of a “material and a significant increase for Marinus Link”.
“For the right price, Marinus Link is an important project for Tasmania, it’ll help boost renewable energy development and support growth in business and industry,” Mr Rockliff said.
The long-awaited Marinus Link is part of Tasmania’s “battery of the nation” strategy and is also listed among the Australian Energy Market Operator’s top five priority projects.
However, some analysts have argued that as Victoria invested more in its own wind farms and battery storage, it made less business sense to fund an expensive multi-billion-dollar cable to Tasmania.
Independent MP John Tucker, who quit the party earlier this year amid concerns about the Marinus Link, welcomed Mr Rockliff’s statement.
I’m a bot and I’m open source!
It’s kind of a shame. Joining Tassie to the mainland grid means it could take advantage if we hook the mainland to elsewhere. Instead it feels like each state individually thinks they will do their own renewable thing. Maybe…eventually…
It’s hard to envision how the future looks. Will each house be nearly self sufficient, eg with solar/battery or are we still looking at centralised power production/storage?
