Tas–Vic undersea connector gains Commonwealth environmental approval

Marinus Link, the proposed undersea and underground electricity and data interconnector between North West Tasmania and the Latrobe Valley in Victoria, has received approval under Commonwealth environmental legislation.

The approval, granted under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 (EPBC Act), sets out environmental-related conditions for the project’s construction, operation and decommissioning. It follows a positive assessment of the project’s environmental effects under Victorian legislation in May 2025.

Marinus Link CEO Stephanie McGregor welcomed the approval, which resulted from detailed assessments over the past four years.

“Our team has completed extensive investigations and surveys to assess the project’s impact in line with guidelines issued by the department,” McGregor said.

“The process included a public exhibition period, where submissions from the community and stakeholders fed into the conditions of our approval.

“We’re confident the conditions adequately ensure any impact on protected matters and the marine environment is appropriately minimised.”

Final primary approvals under Tasmanian legislation are expected in late 2025.

“This is another major step forward — we are on the home stretch, and our organisation is mobilising to construct this nationally significant project in 2026,” McGregor said.

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