Basslink return to service

The 10-week Basslink outage has had no meaningful impact on Tasmania’s energy security or finances.

The CEO of Hydro Tasmania, Steve Davy, welcomed the interconnector returning to service.

“The outage was not ideal. But we’ve comfortably managed the situation with no meaningful impact on energy security,” Mr Davy said.

“Basslink is an important part of Tasmania’s suite of energy options. But we also have a huge, world- class hydropower system that’s served Tasmanians well for more than a century. It’s supported by excellent wind power resources.

“Hydro Tasmania’s storages stood at 36.7 per cent on the day the outage started (24 March), and were 37.8 per cent on Monday. So they’ve gone up slightly during the outage, with no energy importing and hardly any gas generation.

“37.8 per cent is an extremely secure level as we enter the wettest months of the year and comfortably exceeds the levels the Government established to ensure energy security in Tasmania,” Mr Davy said.

The outage started as a planned one-week outage on 24 March. Its return to service was then delayed by damage (although not to the cable itself).