Australian interconnector granted final approval before construction

September 25, 2026, by Nadja Skopljak

The Marinus Link electricity and telecommunications interconnector to be built in Australia has secured the country’s first offshore transmission license, representing the final Commonwealth approval leading into construction.

Marinus Link, which will connect North West Tasmania and Victoria’s Latrobe Valley, has been granted the first Transmission and Infrastructure Licence (TIL) under Australia’s new offshore infrastructure regime, following approval under the Commonwealth’s Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999, obtained last year.

The license authorizes the construction, installation, operation, maintenance, repair and decommissioning of the project’s subsea cables and associated fiber-optic infrastructure. It is in place until 2090.

Marinus Link Pty Ltd (MLPL), jointly owned by the Commonwealth, Tasmania and Victoria, will now progress the design notification and develop a management plan setting out how activities will be managed from construction and operation through to maintenance, repair and eventual decommissioning.

“The Transmission and Infrastructure licence is one of the final permits ahead of construction, allowing electricity to be transmitted through Commonwealth waters and providing protection over the subsea cable route,” said MLPL CEO Stephanie McGregor. “It is the first TIL granted under the Offshore Electricity Infrastructure Act 2021 – the national regime designed to support offshore renewable energy and transmission infrastructure in Commonwealth waters.”

“As part of developing our management plan, we will undertake an engagement process, including with First Peoples, marine users, relevant government agencies and coastal communities.”

Australian Energy Regulator’s final decision says consumers are better off with Marinus Link

Project & Tenders

Marinus Link includes high-voltage and fiber-optic cables spanning 255 kilometers across Bass Strait and 90 kilometers underground in Gippsland, along with a fiber-optic terminal station at Sandy Point and converter stations at Heybridge and Hazelwood North.

Preparatory works began this year, with construction to ramp up over the coming months.

MLPL announced the final investment decision (FID) for the project on August 1, 2025.

The joint venture (JV) of DT Infrastructure and Samsung C&T Corporation has been appointed to deliver the construction of converter stations in Heybridge and Hazelwood, the installation of equipment, and the land cable civil works for the interconnector.

The notices to proceed were issued to the cable and converter technology suppliers, Prysmian Powerlink and Hitachi Energy, in September 2025.