Contractor appointed for major works on Marinus Link project

Marinus Link Pty Ltd has chosen TasVic Greenlink as the preferred tenderer to undertake major civil and construction works on the massive undersea and underground electricity and data interconnector between North West Tasmania and Latrobe Valley in Victoria. 

TasVic Greenlink is a joint venture between DT Infrastructure and Samsung C&T Corporation. 

The Balance of Work contract is the final of three major contracts for the first stage of the Marinus Link project. This contract is currently in final negotiations with TasVic Greenlink. 

The scope of the contract includes the construction of converter stations in Heybridge and Hazelwood, installation of equipment, and the land cable civil works that span 90 kilometres across Gippsland in Victoria. 

“The successful tenderer will need strong local business capability to deliver on this massive construction campaign, and we’ve set targets to incentivise this. 

“TasVic Greenlink is keen to engage with potential subcontractors and suppliers during this next stage of the tender and into construction. 

“In February, we invited local businesses to connect with our initial shortlisted bidders in Burnie, Morwell and Leongatha, and nearly 600 people turned up. 

“We’ve already passed on the details of over 500 subcontractors and suppliers who registered on the industry Capability Network gateway previously,” Marinus Link Pty Ltd CEO Stephanie McGregor said. 

Marinus Link alignment (source: Marinus Link)

TasVic Greenlink is recommended to follow a robust and comprehensive evaluation process that considers capability, approach, and overall value when choosing subcontractors and suppliers for the project. 

Subject to final environmental and regulatory approvals, Stage 1 of the Marinus Link project is expected to begin construction in 20206 and be completed by 2030. 

Marinus Link cables will span 345 kilometres, including 255 kilometres of undersea cables across Bass Strait and 90 kilometres of underground cables in Gippsland, Victoria. 

In addition to the converter stations at Heybridge and Hazelwood, the project will also include a communications station in Sandy Point, Victoria about 1-kilometre from the Waratah Bay shore crossing. 

Marinus Link is going to be built in two stages, with each stage delivering 750MW of capacity. 

“With Marinus Link in place, Tasmania and Victoria will share much more electricity, pairing Victoria’s wind and solar with Tasmania’s flexible hydropower system and geographically diverse wind. This is a powerful synergy that strengthens the grid for both states. 

“The project doesn’t just enable more electricity to flow – it also promotes investment in new clean energy projects and industry, in both Tasmania and Victoria. 

“We’re continuing our engagement with landholders, local communities and businesses ahead of construction, and once our final key partner is signed on, we’ll be out and about at large,” Ms McGregor said. 

The appointment of the Balance of Works contractor follows the announcement of a landmark agreement with the Australian Government and Final Investment Decision (FID) that enables Stage 1 of Marinus Link to proceed. 

Source: Marinus Link (1, 2); DT Infrastructure LinkedIn; Pulse Tasmania; Roads & Infrastructure Australia