Tasmanian business will benefit from the $12.88 million Flinders Island Hybrid Energy Hub Project which will get underway soon.
Flinders Island is currently heavily reliant on expensive diesel fuel to supply its electricity. The Flinders Island Hybrid Energy Hub Project will use a combination of solar and wind, and new storage and enabling technologies, together with a sophisticated control system, to displace more than 60 per cent of the island’s diesel generated energy within two years.
I’m pleased to announce that Hydro Tasmania has signed the first contracts, worth nearly $4 million in total, to begin the initial work. Aside from leading to improved energy security on Flinders Island, this project will also generate job opportunities and economic growth for local businesses.
Local businesses are already benefitting in this first round of contracts, including;
The project is due to be completed in November next year and is a key step towards meeting one of the outcomes in the Tasmanian Energy Strategy, of Tasmania continuing to contribute significantly to renewable energy nationally, reinforcing our reputation as the renewable energy State.
Tasmania already sources around 93 per cent of its energy from renewable sources and while this is one of the highest rates in the world, we are committed to doing more.
That’s why the Hodgman Liberal Government is also progressing the initial work on our election commitment to investigate the preconditions for a second Bass Strait Interconnector and expanding Hydro Tasmania’s generation output by 10 per cent.