| Powering Australia
Installed capacity projections for various energy sources, Australia National Electricity Market, 2009-2050, for ‘Step change’ scenario, considered most likely. Source AEMO
HVDC Light for Marinus Link
Hitachi Energy has been selected by Marinus Link Pty Ltd (MLPL) to supply a 1500 MW HVDC Light link of “national significance”, which will augment the connection between mainland Australia and Tasmania’s grid. It is one of the key transmission projects identified by the Australian Energy Market Operator (AEMO) in its latest Integrated System Plan (see p 11).
The approximately 345 km Marinus cable route will enable the flow of renewable power in both directions between Victoria and Tasmania. The electricity and data cable (for which Marinus has a capacity reservation agreement with Prysmian) will run 255 km undersea from north west Tasmania to Waratah Bay in Victoria, then a further 90 km underground to the Latrobe Valley (Hazelwood).
and deliver emissions reductions valued at a further $3.3 billion.
Gas plays a crucial energy transition role in back-up electricity generation for sustained periods when renewables are unavailable, and “its contribution is integral to the ISP.” The other crucial technologies factored into the roadmap are domestic rooftop solar panels and associated batteries, smart systems and electric vehicles, or what the ISP calls ‘consumer energy resources’.
Home batteries, if well co-ordinated, can save consumers around $4.1 billion in avoided costs for additional grid-scale investment, the ISP estimates.
“Consumers are already a driving force in
Australia’s energy transition and this is set to continue. If consumer devices like solar panels, batteries and electric vehicles are enabled to actively participate in the energy system, then this will result in lower costs for all consumers,” Westerman suggested.
The ISP also calls out the challenges and risks to the energy transition. Planned projects are facing delivery challenges, including approval process delays, investment uncertainties, cost pressures, social licence issues, supply chain disruptions, and workforce shortages. “There is a real risk that replacement generation, storage and transmission may not be available in time when coal plants retire, and this risk must be avoided,” Westerman said.
2024 ISP ‘Step change’ (most likely) scenario at a glance. Source AEMO
It will enable Tasmania to import excess solar and wind generated power produced in Victoria, while reserving its hydro and storing the extra energy. Clean hydropower can then feed the mainland grid when it is needed most, “acting as a large battery for the nation.” Moreover, it will help strengthen security of supply in the Australian power grid, in which electricity is increasingly generated from renewable sources. The project will enable Tasmania to “combine the benefits of solar, wind and hydro,” notes Hitachi Energy, “giving Tasmanians the lowest possible power prices and giving new industries the energy confidence to establish in Tasmania. For Australians, Marinus Link will unlock Tasmania’s hydropower resources, providing access to massive amounts of renewable storage capacity, approximately 14 TWh.” “With our essential HVDC systems secured, Marinus Link is poised for delivery by the end of the decade,” said Caroline Wykamp, CEO of Marinus Link Pty Ltd. “The Australian, Tasmanian and Victorian governments recently entered an historic agreement for joint ownership of Marinus Link, securing it as a critical transmission project for Australia.”
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