The Tasmanian Liberal Government welcomes a new Bill tabled in the Australian Parliament which supports our commitment to unlock new investment in offshore electricity generation and transmission projects.
The Offshore Electricity Infrastructure Bill 2021 will establish a framework for the construction, operation, maintenance and decommissioning of offshore electricity projects.
Federal Minister for Energy and Emissions Reduction Angus Taylor noted: “Importantly this Bill will accelerate a number of projects already under development like the Marinus Link transmission line, which will connect the mainland to Tasmania’s Battery of the Nation project.”
Project Marinus is strategic national infrastructure set to provide increased access to Tasmania’s low cost, reliable and clean energy.
The Government has a bold vision to double Tasmania’s renewable energy production by 2040. This will support additional on-island renewable energy use, such as for hydrogen production, and the export of excess renewable energy through Marinus.
In July 2021 Bass Strait was named as one of the top options for offshore wind energy generation in the country by the national Blue Economy Cooperative Research Centre (CRC).
Bass Strait was found to have consistently higher and stronger winds at points both 50 and 100km offshore than the other locations and second only to Portland in Victoria for a 25km offshore based location.
Tasmania’s world class offshore wind resource can play a key role providing the nation with the clean energy it needs as well as developing a new offshore industry with the potential to create hundreds of jobs.