Tasmania’s renewable energy projects benefiting regional communities

The Tasmanian Government is committed to supporting local businesses to create jobs and stimulate the economy, with our Buy Local Policy delivering opportunities for local suppliers.

Today, I am pleased to highlight a prime example of how our regional areas are benefiting from our major renewable energy projects.

TasNetworks’ Deloraine Depot will undergo

redevelopment which once completed will host community engagement activities like drop-ins, workshops and other information sharing sessions as part of Project Marinus.

The site will be used by up to 12 Project Marinus employees including planning and survey roles, engineering services, safety, land procurement services, and community and customer engagement.

An open tender process saw the appointment of a North West Tasmanian construction firm, Stubbs Constructions (based in Wivenhoe), to undertake the work.

The works on the Deloraine Depot building, including work on the warehouse and yard are anticipated to be completed in May-June 2021, are estimated to cost approximately $800,000 and will see 8-10 workers engaged on site during construction.

Tasmania, as the nation’s leading renewable energy state, is perfectly placed to deliver what the country needs – low cost, reliable and clean energy that deliver energy security, downward pressure on prices, providing much needed economic stimulus and jobs.

Marinus Link is a proposed 1,500 megawatt capacity undersea and underground electricity and telecommunications connection to further link Tasmania and Victoria as part of Australia’s future electricity grid. Marinus Link will be supported by transmission network developments on the North West Tasmanian electricity network, to further unlock Tasmania’s Renewable Energy Resources. 

Dozens of people are already employed supporting the Marinus Link project and it is estimated that as the project progresses through the design and approvals phase, over 200 direct and indirect jobs will be injected in Tasmanian at its peak in 2021-22. 

Importantly, a number of these jobs will be regionally based including planning and survey roles, engineering services, safety, land procurement services, and community and customer engagement.

It is clear that Marinus Link and supporting transmission will play a vital role as we rebuild from COVID-19 by creating billions in economic growth, thousands of jobs and be a source of skills development in Tasmania and regional Victoria.