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Tasmania-Victoria undersea power link faces opposition from dairy farmers

Mirboo North farmer says planned easement will 'shut me down' as a dairy business

By LineZotpaper
Published
Read Time2 min
Sources3 outlets
The Marinus Link project, a 345-kilometre power and data cable connecting Tasmania and Victoria, is facing opposition from dairy farmer Paul Peluso, who says the planned easement across his property will destroy his livelihood. The undersea and underground transmission line is touted as crucial national infrastructure, but Peluso warns the disruption to his farm's operations could be catastrophic.

Dairy farmer Paul Peluso's property in Mirboo North lies in the proposed path of the Marinus Link, which will run 345 kilometres of power and data cables from north-west Tasmania to the Latrobe Valley in Victoria. The cables will travel beneath the Bass Strait and continue underground through Victoria.

Peluso fears a four-hectare easement on his 180-hectare farm will ruin his dairy business. Marinus Link plans to dig a trench for the cables and has a six-year window to access his land. The farmer said this would cut across tracks his cows use to move between paddocks and milking sheds.

"What they're proposing to do will shut me down as a dairy farmer," Peluso said. "These main tracks are the arteries that pump the animals to where they need to be."

Backers of the project describe it as crucial national infrastructure for electricity sharing between states. Peluso is among many Victorian landholders along the route who will host the underground cables, whether they want to or not.

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Analysis

Why This Matters

  • The Marinus Link is a key piece of Australia's energy transition, enabling renewable power to flow between Tasmania and Victoria, but its on-the-ground impacts on farming communities are often overlooked.
  • The conflict highlights the tension between national infrastructure goals and local landholder rights, a recurring issue in energy projects across the country.
  • The outcome of this dispute could set precedents for how future transmission line projects compensate and accommodate affected landowners.

Background

Marinus Link is an interconnector project designed to strengthen electricity sharing between Tasmania and Victoria. It follows the existing Basslink interconnector and is intended to support renewable energy generation, particularly from Tasmanian hydro and wind. The project involves laying cables on the seabed of Bass Strait and then burying them underground through Victorian farmland. Landholders along the Victorian route are subject to compulsory easements, which grant long-term access for construction and maintenance.

Key Perspectives

Farmer Paul Peluso and affected landholders: Their primary concern is that construction and the permanent easement will disrupt farming operations, particularly dairy, where daily movement of cattle between paddocks is essential. They face years of disruption with uncertain compensation. Project backers (Marinus Link and government supporters): They argue the link is critical national infrastructure that will improve energy reliability, lower prices, and enable greater use of renewables across the National Electricity Market. Critics and skeptics: Some question the cost-benefit of the project, especially given rising construction expenses and the impact on agricultural land. Environmental groups may also raise concerns about the seabed cable route.

What to Watch

  • Final route alignment and any changes to avoid sensitive farm infrastructure on individual properties.
  • Compensation agreements between Marinus Link and affected landowners, and whether they are resolved amicably or through legal channels.
  • Approval timelines from state and federal regulators, and any legal challenges from landholders.

Sources

Zotpaper

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