GIPPSLAND contractors and suppliers interested in becoming part of the Marinus Link project were urged to register promptly, with many turning up to hear from project leaders and shortlisted proponents at Leongatha Memorial Hall on Thursday.
Marinus Link is a proposed undersea and underground electricity and data interconnector that will run 345 kilometres from Hazelwood in Victoria’s Latrobe Valley to Heybridge in Tasmania.
It is currently in the design and approvals phase with construction due to commence in early 2026, those in charge forecasting the project will create between 300 and 400 jobs in Gippsland, in areas such as construction, manufacturing, electrical surveying, project management, engineering, rural fencing and technology.
While there will only be a handful of ongoing jobs, some contract maintenance positions will arise down the track.
“Today is a call to action,” Head of Community Stakeholder Engagement for Marinus Link, Mark Lindsay said, explaining that business operators interested in registering their details and capabilities for the project must do so by close of business on Friday March 7.
Expressions of interest are being taken by the Industry Capability Network (ICN) through its Gateway database.
Thursday’s session and another in Morwell offered an ideal opportunity for attendees to connect with project leaders and proponents and learn more about the kinds of work that would be available through the development of the Marinus Link and associated infrastructure.
Heybridge is a small Tasmanian town east of Burnie and is intended to be the site of a converter station, the other to be situated in Hazelwood, with undersea cables crossing Bass Strait and making land between Sandy Point and Waratah Bay, a further 90 kilometres of underground cabling connecting to Hazelwood.
Jimmy Harry and son Josh who run the Waratah Bay Caravan Park were among the many interested attendees.
Jimmy is a commercial builder and keen to explore work opportunities for the Marinus Link project, including the need for associated temporary accommodation, and also owns vessels that could serve as pilot boats.
Fencing contractors, Welshpool’s Jake Mabilia and Travis Glover of Nyora were representing their business TJ Agri and are interested in pursuing opportunities such as installing temporary fencing, declaring they would submit an expression of interest.
Both found Thursday’s session informative.
Brenton Williams of Leongatha based Bj’s Earthmoving described the Marinus Link as a huge project for South Gippsland, hopeful it will provide lots of work for locals.
“There is going to be a huge amount of civil works in this project; every time they go under a road, the road’s going to have to be fully reconstructed,” he said, keen to put his business in the running for such opportunities along with trenching work.
South Gippsland Shire Deputy Mayor Sarah Gilligan spoke of the need for energy reliability in South Gippsland, stressing the area currently rates as one of the worst in Victoria in that department.
“I live in Venus Bay and I know about power vulnerability,” she said.
Mr Lindsay detailed how Marinus Link will offer flexibility, able to transfer energy in either direction depending on need and helping provide reliable and affordable energy,
“Connecting into the valuable hydro resources in Tasmania is an essential part of our solution as we transition here on the mainland,” he said.
Mr Lindsay elaborated that when the sun’s shining and the wind’s blowing in South Gippsland and we’re producing more energy than we need, we can send it south for Tasmanians to use and store, and at other times the power can flow the other way.
He stressed that Marinus Link is all about moving energy, not generating it.
He noted the first stage of the project is intended to take about four years, being commissioned in 2030, with that stage providing a capacity of 750 megawatts.
Stage 2 to double that capacity would require a separate approvals process.
Expression of Interest process:
To submit an Expression of Interest, businesses must have an ICN Gateway company profile.
Search online for ‘Gippsland project opportunities’.
Once in ‘Gateway’, choose ‘Gateway by ICN Setup Wizard’ if your company doesn’t yet have a Gateway profile.
Otherwise, select ‘Work Package’, then ‘Gippsland Projects EOI Updates’, then
‘Expression of Interest’, at which point you will be asked to log in.
If you require assistance registering your business with ICN Gateway or submitting an Expression of Interest, contact ICN Industry Adviser Colin Young on 0438 753 428 or Gateway Customer Service Officer Bonnie Grosso on 9864 6700.