Climate and biodiversity are two sides of the same coin. Renewable energy projects should not cost the Earth or its wildlife.
Photo: Explainer
Not only is Tasmanian renewable energy not needed for Australia to decarbonise, Marinus Link will enable the roll out of subsidised multi-national, overseas owned windfarms linked by transmission lines and towers from Circular Head in the far northwest to Eddystone Point in the northeast and on the Central Plateau.
Photo: Endangered Wedge-tailed eagle and their cousins the White-bellied Sea Eagle are proven casualties of transmission lines and wind turbines.
Photo: Tasmanian Devils have been decimated by loss of habitat, roadkill and the deadly facial tumour disease. Healthy, disease free populations like the Robbins Island population are risked by development like the Marinus linked Robbins Island wind farm.
These developments will destroy native forests, farmlands, coastlines and the habitats of Tasmanian Devils, migratory shorebirds and other threatened species. They will compromise the outstanding universal values of the TWWHA.
Photo: Coastal nesting seabirds face huge risks of collisions with poorly sited wind turbines and disruption to habitat from related infrastructure.
Windfarms should not be installed in areas with such a high density of endemic and migratory birds.
“The proposed Robbins Island project is a bird killer. I am in favour of wind farms, but everything has its limits. One-third of Australia’s birds will be extinct this century and migratory birds foremost.” – Bob Brown.
Marinus Link will enable destructive projects that have serious adverse impacts on environments, communities and regions across Tasmania.
See the proposed projects and what the communities have to say.
| Project Name | Relationship to Marinus link | Project Proponent | Project Detail | Number of turbines proposed | Height of Turbines | Environmental Impacts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| St Patricks Plains Wind Farm | Ark Energy insists SPPWF is not dependent on Marinus, as electricity output will be used for its own hydrogen production. However, shortfalls in local power supply will need to be imported. | Ark Energy, a subsidiary of Korea Zinc Co. Ltd. | The site is located in the Steppes area in the Central Highlands, and extends from St Patricks Plains in the north 10 km south east of Miena and Great Lake, to Bakers Tier in the south, around 28 km north of Bothwell. The proposed wind farm area covers approximately 10,000 ha, covering a north to south distance of 20 km from St Patricks Plains through Bakers Tier to Blackburn Creek. | 47 | 240 metres | Visual, noise, native habitat. Land-clearing and construction impacts: 90ha will be cleared for turbine hardstands, footings and 78 kms of internal roads. A 4ha on-site switchyard will connect to the existing transmission line. Species Impacted: Wedge-tailed eagles and white-bellied sea eagles have historically been observed within and surrounding the project area. 17 nests exist within or on the boundaries. The site was noted as having a high eagle population. Threatened native vegetation communities listed including Highland grassy sedgeland, Highland Poa grassland and Wetlands. Alpine Sphagnum Bogs and Associated Ferns, a Threatened Ecological Community, was identified as being likely to occur within the site. Landscape: |
| Robbins Island industrial park | The project seeks to export a proportion of its generated energy to the National Electricity Market via Marinus which exposes the Tasmanian energy consumer to the fluctuations of an international market. Tasmania is mostly renewable energy sufficient in part due to its existing hydropower. The Energy Market Operator sees Marinus as a blueprint to its 20 year plan but the benefits to Tasmanians on a cost benefit analysis appear dubious in light of the financial risk to Tasmanian consumers including the increased costs to build and maintain the infrastructure. | The project proponent is ACEN Australia. It is the listed energy platform of the Ayala Group a Philippine based energy company seeking to broaden its assets and business throughout South East Asia. | The Industrial Park will cover 8254 hectares of the 9990 hectares of land that makes up Robbins Island. Under the proposal it is currently the fourth largest wind farm in the world. It’s towers will be the largest so far constructed on land. A causeway and bridge will be constructed spanning 1.4 kilometres to join the island with the Tasmanian mainland. This construction will likely jeopardise the tidal currents of the channel and impact heavily upon the sea grasses that are the spawning areas of the natural fish stocks, by releasing the natural acids in the sea bed through the construction of bridge pylons. A wharf is also proposed to be built on the north eastern shore line. Access and egress to the proposed wharf will be through prime Tasmanian Devil denning habitat. | 122 | 270 metres | Environmental Impacts: Robbins Island and the surrounding passage wetlands are home to a number of wetland species estimated to number some 25,000 migratory and residential birds. It is part of the East Asian Flyway (EEAF) and a migratory flyway for the critically endangered species the Orange Bellied Parrot and the Wedge Tailed Eagle that lives on the island. Other critically endangered species include the Tasmanian devil and the Green and Gold Striped Frog. Other avifauna affected include the white- bellied sea- eagle and the hooded plover ( eastern). Threatened species flora’s classified under the Commonwealth EPBCA 2002 include 231 hectare the Saline Sedgeland /rush-land and .76 of a hectare of Succulent Saline herb field. Threatened species under the Tasmanian Nature Conservation Act 2022 include 188 hectare of eucalyptus Brookeriana wet forests, 100 hectare of Melaleuca Ericifolia swamp forest and 140 hectare of eucalyptus viminalis and eucalyptus globulus coastal forest/ woodland that is proposed to be cleared to allow for the construction of the wharf. Land Clearing Most of the island will be impacted. 93km of roads will be established to build and service the turbines. A batching site is proposed using local materials quarried and materials imported to build the one hectare base of each of the 122 proposed turbines each requiring 600 cubic metres of concrete. Construction of the causeway and bridge has considerable hydrological consequences and the risk of Tasmanian devils with the facial tumour entering and effecting the disease free population on the island. |
| NW Transmission Upgrade (New Line) | Hampshire to Staverton Section through Loongana Valley. New transmission intended to facilitate development of wind farms to export privatised Tas wind energy to Mainland. NWTU is just backbone for further connections into future. | TasNetworks | Length: 170 kilometres Double overhead transmission lines Height: Towers at 45-60m height Easement 90metres with variable clearing 60-90 metres. | Extensive land-clearing: Species Impacts: | ||
| Western Plains Windfarm | Marinus Link will facilitate the Western Plains windfarm as the Bass Strait cable and associated new transmission lines will enable export of privatised Tas wind energy to Mainland. | Ark Energy, subsidiary of Korea Zinc. | 12 turbines on a private property on Stanley Peninsula, approximately 4 kms from the township of Stanley. Turbines will be about approximately 150 metres high, four storeys taller than the Nut, a unique, three-dimensional volcanic plug. Transmission lines: 25kms underground transmission lines to Port Latta. | Land-clearing and construction impacts: Species Impacted: Stanley lies in the direct path of the Orange Bellied Parrot migration route. Wedge tailed eagles (WTEs) and white-bellied sea-eagles (WBSEs). Tasmanian devils and spotted-tailed quolls are known to occur on the Stanley peninsula and within the area between Stanley and Port Latta Landscape: Turbines will dominate the landscape and degrade the natural landscape values of the volcanic features of the Nut and Stanley Peninsula. They will also reduce amenity and degrade scenic landscape values of the historic town of Stanley with negative impact on the sense of place local people feel about their home and on the tourism industry. |
Learn more about the campaign including reports we have released and interviews about the proposed Marinus Link project.
Marinus Link will open the door to an avalanche of unnecessary, biodiversity destroying, industrial power projects across Tasmania. Join our campaign to Sink the Link!
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