North West Transmission Developments: Battle lines drawn over project delay

Labor continues to attack the Liberal state government over a TasNetworks decision, Burnie Mayor Teeny Brumby is in disbelief, but a UTAS expert says the decision holds water. Inside the brewing stoush.

The site of the Marinus Link converter station at Heybridge. Picture Supplied

A decision to defer the second half of an upgrade to North-West Tasmania’s energy network continues to be attacked by Labor as risking multiple renewable energy proposals, but an energy policy expert says the decision holds water.

Earlier this month, TasNetworks announced it would only initially build half of its proposed $800m North West Transmission Developments (NWTD) project, 240km of new transmission lines it says the state needs to connect a growing number of renewables proposals in the region.

The project would complement the showpiece 1500MW Marinus Link interconnector from Heybridge to Victoria, but its reduction to just a single cable in response to a $3bn blowout prompted TasNetworks to trim the NWTD accordingly.

Under the new plan, transmission lines between Palmerston-Sheffield-Heybridge and Stowport to Burnie would begin construction in 2025 to align with the first Marinus Link cable.

North West Transmission Developments. Picture: TasNetworks

The remainder – Staverton to Burnie via Hampshire Hills – would be considered at a future date if and when a final investment decision is made on the first stage.

Labor’s energy spokesman Dean Winter previously said the staged approach placed at risk half a dozen wind farm proposals – Robbins Island, Jim’s Plain, Hellyer, Guildford, St Patricks Plains, and Whaleback Ridge – and HIFs $1bn proposed biofuels facility at Hampshire.

In a statement provided to the Mercury, Burnie Mayor Teeny Brumby also voiced her displeasure.

Marinus Link route through Bass Strait. Picture: File

“It needs to be reversed. At the very least the Burnie-Hampshire transmission line needs to be constructed... so that all the planned renewable energy projects can proceed through the various regulatory approval processes, knowing there is electricity infrastructure to connect to and support their businesses,” she said.

“North-West Tasmania has some of the highest quality wind in the world, plentiful supplies of water to manufacture hydrogen and Burnie has a natural deepwater port and airport to support these new industries.

Dean Winter Labor member for Franklin in relation to power prices in Tasmania. Picture: Nikki Davis-Jones

“Yet TasNetworks cannot build the necessary transmission infrastructure in a timely way to support and enable these vital new industries – it beggars belief.”

UTAS Associate Professor of Energy and Power Systems Evan Franklin told the Mercury the NWTD was a “chicken and egg” scenario.

Renewable energy developers need infrastructure to connect to, but TasNetworks does not want to build infrastructure for projects that may not eventuate.

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“There’s a really delicate dance being done right across the world between network operators and people who want to develop wind and solar,” he said.

A/Prof Franklin said it would be “imprudent” to build the whole NWTD in anticipation of two Marinus cables when only one is progressing, and there were also question marks over how many wind farms would in fact be built in Tasmania.

UTAS Associate Professor of Energy and Power Systems Evan Franklin. Picture: Energy Transition Hub

While the state is not in an “energy crisis,” if Tasmania wants to allow existing industrial users to expand, or introduce new users to the mix like biofuels and green hydrogen, then it needs to add more generation and transmission to the network.

A/Prof Franklin cited the recent example of Norske Skog Boyer being unable to convert its coal boiler to electricity due to a lack of spare capacity in the system as a reason why it’s in Tasmania’s interest to add new projects to the mix.

Originally published as North West Transmission Developments: Battle lines drawn over project delay