Albanese govt flirts with $3.5b Marinus Link renewables transmission plan, but Tasmanian Labor yet to be convinced and Bob Brown warns of disaster

Chris Bowen has flagged using Labor’s $20b Rewiring the Nation program to progress a stalled Coalition energy project: a $3.5b interconnector supplying Tasmanian dispatchable renewable power to the mainland.

Minister for Climate Change and Energy Chris Bowen

Chris Bowen has flagged using Labor’s $20bn Rewiring the ­Nation program to progress a stalled Coalition energy project: a $3.5bn interconnector supplying Tasmanian dispatchable renewable power to the mainland.

The Climate Change and ­Energy Minister has had “very constructive” talks with his ­Tasmanian counterpart about the Marinus Link proposal and told The Weekend Australian it was a “key” national transmission project.

Mr Bowen said the project would fit the goals of Labor’s landmark Rewiring low-cost fin­ance program.

“This boost to transmission is urgently ­needed and being a key transmission project … Marinus Link would be eligible for Rewiring the Nation funding,” he said.

He said the former government had “dropped the ball” on Marinus Link, which would lead to an estimated $20bn in wind, hydro, pumped hydro, hydrogen and high-speed data projects in Tasmania.

These would act as a “Battery of the Nation”, with the cable providing 1500 megawatts of dispatchable renewable power to mainland states via Marinus.

Timelines on the ambitious scheme have slipped by years, but in the dying days of the ­Coalition government Scott Morrison provided $75m to progress the ­project to a final investment decision.

The Tasmanian Liberal government’s Energy and Renewables Minister, Guy Barnett, told The Weekend Australian he had “very constructive initial conversations” with Mr Bowen in recent days.

“The Australian government’s Rewiring the Nation initiative is of great interest to Tasmania and I have had positive initial conversations with the federal minister,” Mr Barnett said.

However, there is concern within Tasmania’s business and political circles that the cost of the link and related on-island transmission infrastructure could force up local power prices and handcuff the state to Nat­ional Electricity Market price ­volatilities.

With 100 per cent renewables and energy self-sufficiency, Tasmania had in recent years effectively delinked from the NEM.

However, Mr Barnett recently dumped that position for fear of scaring investors away from Marinus, which would capitalise on NEM price volatility.

Tasmanian opposition energy spokesman Dean Winter said state Labor was yet to be convinced about Marinus, which he said was now eight years behind schedule. “Businesses and consumers are starting to get worried about what sort of deal is going to end up getting cut by this (state) government just to get it built,” Mr Winter said.

“Tasmania has got this amazing opportunity to benefit from its renewable energy. But it’s no good being the Battery of the ­Nation if we’re just going to ­export our clean, green energy for other states and territories to get all the economic benefit.”

Former Greens leader Bob Brown, concerned about the “massive environmental impact” of new wind farms and transmission lines in Tasmania, wants Marinus dumped, and any facilitating legislation blocked in the Senate.

“Labor would be very foolish to rubber-stamp this – environmentally, economically and ­employment-wise it’s just a loser,” Dr Brown said.

However, the Greens are keeping an open mind. “Every transmission project, including Marinus Link, needs to have an economic and environmental basis, and we are yet to see the full business case,” a Greens spokesman said.