Marinus Link granted Australia’s first offshore transmission licence

The proposed 345-kilometre undersea and underground electricity and data interconnector, Marinus Link has been granted the first transmission and infrastructure licence under Australia’s new offshore infrastructure regime.

Designed to connect north west Tasmania to the Latrobe Valley in Victoria, the licence is the final federal approval required before construction begins.

The new link will strengthen grid reliability in Victoria, which will be able to access on-demand hydropower from Marinus Link Stage 1, which will deliver 750 MW of capacity, 50% more than the existing Basslink interconnector.

Connecting mainland solar/wind and island hydro resources will also help smooth out weather-dependent generation gaps, supporting National Electricity Market (NEM) resilience.

Marinus Link Chief Executive Officer Stephanie McGregor said it is the first TIL granted under the Offshore Electricity Infrastructure Act 2021, which is the national regime designed to support offshore renewable energy and transmission infrastructure in Commonwealth waters.

“We’ve worked collaboratively with the registrar in supporting the new framework, and we’re proud to have helped pave the way for the emerging offshore electricity sector,” McGregor said.

Marinus Link will be delivered in two stages. Scheduled for completion in late 2030, Stage 1 will comprise a 750-MW interconnector that will span 345 km running under Bass Strait from Burnie in Northwest Tasmania to Waratah Bay on Victoria’s south coast, then underground to the Latrobe Valley.

Together with the interdependent North West Transmission Developments project (together ‘Project Marinus’) it will create around 2,400 jobs and $2.4 billion (USD 1.6 billion) of investment.

The project is expected to reduce average wholesale electricity prices by around $15 per MWh in Tasmania and $17 per MWh in Victoria once operational or between $25 to $36 annual bill reductions for Tasmania and Victoria households.