The Urban Developer
AdvertiseEventsWebinars
Urbanity
Awards
Sign In
Membership
Latest
Menu
Location
Sector
Category
Content
Type
Newsletters
Untitled design (8)
20 DAYS UNTIL OUR UNMISSABLE FLAGSHIP CONFERENCE MORE THAN 500 ALREADY ATTENDING
20 DAYS UNTIL OUR FLAGSHIP CONFERENCE 500+ ALREADY ATTENDING
SECURE YOUR SPOTDETAILS
TheUrbanDeveloper
Follow
About
About Us
Membership
Awards
Events
Webinars
Listings
Resources
Terms & Conditions
Commenting Policy
Privacy Policy
Republishing Guidelines
Editorial Charter
Complaints Handling Policy
Contact
General Enquiries
Advertise
Contribution Enquiry
Project Submission
Membership Enquiry
Newsletter
Stay up to date and with the latest news, projects, deals and features.
Subscribe
ADVERTISEMENT
SHARE
print
Print
InfrastructureMarisa WikramanayakeThu 09 Jan 25

Power Link Station Plan Filed for Vic-Tas Megaproject

The Heybridge Converter Station for the Marinus Link project in Tasmania will be built in two stages as each cable is laid down.

An inter-state energy project has moved to the next stage with plans for an electricity converter station in Tasmania filed.

Marinus Link Pty Ltd has filed the plans for a $167-million converter station at the former Tioxide Australia factory, at Heybridge.

The project in the state’s north-west, between Burnie and Penguin is jointly owned by the Federal (49 per cent), the Victorian  (33.3 per cent) and the Tasmanian governments (17.7 per cent).

It will create 255km of undersea high-voltage DC cable across Bass Strait and 90km of underground cable at Gippsland, Victoria, as well as two converter stations and a switching station. 

It is expected about 200 workers will be employed during the two-year construction period.

A converter station transforms electrical energy between alternating current (AC) and direct current (DC). Alternating current is better suited for local networks and household use, while DC enables cost-effective, efficient transport of electricity over long distances. 

The former Tioxide Australia factory operated between 1949 and 1996. It produced titanium dioxide, an intense whitening compound used in paints, plastics and more. The factory is currently vacant.

It is planned the cable will run under the beach, railway line and Bass Highway to the Heybridge Converter Station. 

The undersea cable will run to Waratah Bay, Victoria, 3km west of Sandy Point. 

It will then run underground to Hazelwood, 159km east of Melbourne, where the second converter station will be built. 

There will be two stages to the project, the first is to deliver a 750mW capacity cable link with construction expected to start in 2026 and be completed by 2030. 

Another cable link will be added as part of the second stage to bring the total capacity of the project to 1500mW or enough to power 1.5 million Australian homes. 

The undersea cable will run through the Bass Strait from Heybridge, Tasmania to Waratah Bay, Victoria.
▲ The undersea cable is planned to run between Heybridge, Tasmania and Waratah Bay, Victoria.

It is also three times the capacity of the existing Tasmania-to-Victoria power cable, Basslink.

There will also be fibre-optic-data cabling included to create a fourth network link to the mainland for internet connectivity and telecommunications.

The goal is to allow more low-cost, reliable and clean energy to enter the National Electricity Market. 

If completed, the project will allow Tasmania to import surplus solar energy more cheaply while storing extra energy from hydropower. 

It will then be able to export the hydropower to the mainland grid as needed to reduce the risk of brownouts. 

The project is also expected to lower electricity prices, and to deliver 3300 direct and indirect jobs and $3.9 billion in direct economic investment in Tasmania and Victoria. 

It is will also support growth in Tasmania’s pumped hydro storage, wind generation and green hydrogen industries. 

InfrastructureVictoriaMelbourneHobartPlanningSustainabilityTechnologyGovernmentEngineeringConstructionPlanningProject
AUTHOR
Marisa Wikramanayake
The Urban Developer
More articles by this author
ADVERTISEMENT
TOP STORIES
Parallel Workshops Stockdale Housing PBSA project
Exclusive

Suburban Success Story Turns PBSA Thinking on its Head

Leon Della Bosca
7 Min
Exclusive

Interstate Developers Find Lots to Love in ‘Progressive, Affordable’ SA

Taryn Paris
5 Min
Bates Smart Richmond Sportslink HERO
Exclusive

BtR Focus Drives Bates Smart’s Richmond Sportslink Concept

Leon Della Bosca
6 Min
Exclusive

Carparking Correlation: How Parking Fees Provide Office Sector Health Check

Taryn Paris
6 Min
Molti chief Ben Teague out front of 32 Mercer Road Aramadale (rendering)
Exclusive

Buy to the Sound of Cannons: Molti’s Counter-Cyclical Move to Melbourne

Leon Della Bosca
5 Min
View All >
Kangaroo Point Aria Canopy House Revised DA Approval hero
Development

Aria’s Revised Tower Greenlit for Inner-City Kangaroo Point

Phil Bartsch
Parallel Workshops Stockdale Housing PBSA project
Exclusive

Suburban Success Story Turns PBSA Thinking on its Head

Leon Della Bosca
Third.i Crows Nest Dolls House render EDM
Build-to-Rent

Thirdi Scraps Office Tower for Crows Nest Over-Station Site

Vanessa Croll
Days after lodging a shoptop scheme at Gladesville, the developer has shifted gears on its North Shore project…
LATEST
Kangaroo Point Aria Canopy House Revised DA Approval hero
Development

Aria’s Revised Tower Greenlit for Inner-City Kangaroo Point

Phil Bartsch
3 Min
Parallel Workshops Stockdale Housing PBSA project
Exclusive

Suburban Success Story Turns PBSA Thinking on its Head

Leon Della Bosca
7 Min
Third.i Crows Nest Dolls House render EDM
Build-to-Rent

Thirdi Scraps Office Tower for Crows Nest Over-Station Site

Vanessa Croll
4 Min
Warren and Mahoney's rendering of Leftfield's project at 691-693 Burke Road, in Melbourne's Camberwell.
Residential

Leftfield Lifts Cover on 14-Storey Scheme at Camberwell

Marisa Wikramanayake
3 Min
View All >
ADVERTISEMENT
Article originally posted at: https://theurbandeveloper.com/articles/tasmania-victoria-marinus-link-converter-station-heybridge-plans-filed