By LIAM DURKIN
STATE Energy Minister Jaclyn Symes made a brief stop by the Latrobe Valley last Friday.
The Minister was in town to visit the Marinus Link Victoria converter station at Hazelwood North.
The station as it stands is just a paddock off Tramway Road, but site works are expected to commence shortly.
Land at Hazelwood North has been purchased by Marinus Link. The previous owner, a farmer, vacated around two months ago.
A model converter station was on display. The real station will feature 24 units each measuring 11 by five metres tall.
Ms Symes heard from Marinus Link Senior Project Engineer Akin Olayiwola, as well as project director Andrew Train.
“To be here today to mark, close to, the start of construction of this converter is really exciting,” the Minister said.
“Australia-first technology that’s all about ensuring reliable, accessible power for Victorians.”
The state government says Marinus Link will create up to 1000 jobs, while local contractors have already been engaged for works.
Workers from Yallourn power station, set to close in 2028, will hope to transition their skills to roles within the renewable energy sector.
When asked if the government can guarantee local jobs through Marinus Link, Ms Symes said important conversations were ongoing.
“We know that the Latrobe Valley has powered the nation for many, many years, this is a project that continues on that tradition,” she said.
“New technology, new opportunities, and we’re very, very keen to engage anybody in the local region for future power jobs, particularly the transition that net zero creates.”
As Victorian households fear a rise in their power bills once brown coal is phased out, the Minister flipped conventional thinking on its head.
“I can definitely say that without projects like this, power bills will go up,” she said.
“Marinus Link have done a lot of independent analysis in relation to the cost of not doing this project, which would indeed add to people’s power bills.”
With more renewable projects than days of the week seemingly in the works across Gippsland, things may change overnight if a new government is sworn in next month.
Ms Symes did not wish to get political, but moved to reassure that renewables were the best way to ensure affordable and reliable energy would be delivered as coal-fired power stations reach their end-of-life.
“Projects such as this, they all know about how to ensure that the future energy security is going to be best delivered, and it’s through projects like this,” she said.
“I’m committed to having policies and outcomes that are about keeping power prices down and power reliable.”
Marinus Link is an electricity interconnector between the Latrobe Valley and North West Tasmania, set to allow hydro and wind to flow between the two states.
Federal Energy Minister Chris Bowen was in Tasmania for a sod turning event recently, to mark the granting of a Transmission and Infrastructure Licence under Australian’s new offshore infrastructure regime.
High voltage and fibre-optic cables spanning 255 kilometres, will run across Bass Strait and 90km underground in Gippsland. A terminal station will be located at Sandy Point and advanced converters at Hazelwood North and Heybridge, Tasmania.
The project is jointly funded by the federal, Victorian and Tasmanian governments, and received backing from Samsung Korea, who have joined TasVic Greenlink in the endeavour.
The seabed cable will be laid using a slow-moving and delicate process rolling from the back of a ship. Such is the technology, the boat will need to make round trips to Italy to collect the entire length of cable.
Marinus Link has all contingencies covered. Even the threat of pirates boarding the ship has been noted on its risk analysis.
