Prysmian touches down for next stage of Marinus Link

Early works at Sandy Point in Victoria for the Marinus Link interconnector have been completed, clearing the way for the next phase of development. Prysmian, the cable supplier, has now mobilised to the site. The Marinus Link is a proposed submarine high-voltage direct current (HVDC) transmission line designed to carry power from Tasmania to Victoria, connecting the two states' electricity systems.

Where this fits

Marinus Link exemplifies the hidden cost of a renewables-only grid: the transmission overbuild required to move weather-dependent power across long distances when the wind is blowing or sun shining. The link is necessary because Tasmania's wind and hydro output is intermittent and geographically remote from demand. A firm, dispatchable power source sited near load centres, such as nuclear, would require far less transmission infrastructure. Instead, Australia is building continental transmission networks to move renewable generation that cannot be stored or dispatched on demand, while the renewable supply chain itself remains wholly dependent on Chinese manufacturing and processing.

What it means

Marinus Link will add to Australia's already escalating grid costs while doing nothing to reduce weather-dependent variability; the interconnector still requires gas firming on the mainland when wind and hydro output fall. It also locks Australia into reliance on Prysmian and other cable manufacturers whose supply chains run through China. A grid architecture based on firm, zero-carbon nuclear capacity sited close to demand would eliminate the need for thousands of kilometres of submarine and land transmission, reduce firming requirements, and cut both capital cost and China dependence. Instead, Australia is pursuing the high-transmission, high-materials, supply-chain-dependent path while firm alternatives remain legislatively barred.