Getting connected

Put simply, an electricity interconnector is a connection between two or more transmission networks. They allow power to flow between different regions (i.e., between Tasmania and Victoria), from renewable energy generation zones to where the electricity is needed.

Interconnectors allow energy to flow back and forth and be traded between those regions as part of Australia’s national electricity network. Think of an interconnector like a big power cable!

An interconnector can run overland like the Heywood interconnector between South Australia and Victoria, underground, or under large bodies of water like the Basslink interconnector that runs across Bass Strait between Tasmania and Victoria.

There are interconnectors operating and being built all around the globe. The 1400 MW North Sea Link, which connects the UK with Norway and spans 730 km, will be the world’s longest undersea cable when construction is completed in 2021.

Common around the world, and in Australia, interconnectors play a critical role in supporting Australia’s transition to a clean energy future.

Marinus Link is a proposed ~250 km, 1500 megawatt capacity undersea electricity connection to link Tasmania and Victoria, as part of Australia’s future electricity grid.

Marinus Link, supported by the proposed North West Tasmania transmission developments, will provide access to cost-competitive renewable energy and storage resources.

You can find out more about the proposed undersea interconnector between Tasmania and Victoria on the Marinus Link website.