Massive projects planned for island

FIVE Tasmanian projects have made the Federal Government’s latest official list of nation-building infrastructure that should be delivered over the next 15 years.

The list from Infrastructure Australia names a second electricity cable across Bass Strait as vital, alongside the University of Tasmania’s STEM facility for the Hobart central business district and an alternative River Derwent crossing to replace the ageing Bridgewater Bridge.

Also on the list is the establishment of a Burnie-to-Hobart road and rail freight corridor to give all Tasmanian producers quick access to the capital’s growing airport. Planning work has started on all five of the Tasmanian priority projects.

A SECOND electricity cable across Bass Strait should be a priority for Tasmania, Infrastructure Australia says.

It was one of $55 billion worth of nation-building projects which the independent statutory body says will need to get underway over the next 15 years.

The construction of a second interconnector, to carry power between Tasmania and Victoria, is estimated to cost $1 billion. A $20 million feasibility study, funded jointly by the State and Federal governments, has begun and is due for release in June.

The proposal has now been listed as a priority initiative by Infrastructure Australia which says the project would secure the national energy market and help make Tasmania the nation’s renewable energy powerhouse.

The second cable is one of five Tasmanian proposals listed in the latest summary of big-ticket nation-building initiatives needed to help Australia cope with a forecast 11.8 million jump in population by 2047.

Others are: THE Hobart STEM project under which the UTAS faculty of Science, Engineering and Technology would move from the existing campus at Sandy Bay to a purpose-built facility in the Hobart CBD. BUILDING an alternative River Derwent crossing to replace the ageing and inad- equate Bridgewater Bridge. ESTABLISHING a Burnie-toHobart road and rail freight corridor. UPGRADES to the state’s sewerage infrastructure.

The call to build a second interconnector within the next decade follows Malcolm Turnbull’s push last year for investment to make Tasmania the “battery of the nation”.

Who would end up paying for a second power cable if it is deemed viable is not yet clear.

Infrastructure Australia chief executive Philip Davies said a second interconnector would not only boost security in the National Electricity Market but back Tasmania’s investment in new pumped hydro, solar and wind projects.

Mr Davies said the proposal was listed as a longer-term priority and calls for construction to start within 10-15 years.

“We need to see the broader Australian energy network plan but a second cable would almost certainly increase the resilience of the national net- work,” Mr Davies said.

Mr Davies said two cables would also improve supply security for Tasmania.

In 2015, Tasmania was plunged into a six-month energy supply crisis when the Basslink cable failed, prompting calls for a second cable.

The State Government is now chasing $100 million from Basslink to compensate for the outage.

Mr Davies said planning work had started on all five Tasmanian priorities.