Prysmian Marinus Link Project Strengthens Tasmania–Victoria Power Connection
Prysmian Group has agreed to reserve capacity for the Marinus Link project, a major power interconnector that will connect Tasmania and Victoria, Australia. The project’s client, Marinus Link Pty Ltd., operates as a subsidiary of the Australian transmission system operator TasNetworks.
The Prysmian Marinus Link project will strengthen energy reliability across Australia’s electricity market, providing a key infrastructure link that supports renewable generation across both states.
Capacity Reservation and Project Scope
Prysmian has reserved production and installation capacity for the design, testing, and delivery of a high-voltage direct current (HVDC) cable system rated at 320 kV. The system includes single-core cables with XLPE insulation and single-wire armoring for both submarine and land applications.
The complete submarine section will run approximately 255 km from northwest Tasmania to Waratah Bay, Victoria. The underground section will extend about 90 km, reaching the Latrobe Valley in Victoria. The link will also include a 255 km submarine fiber optic cable to support real-time communication and monitoring.
The project contract, valued at around €90 million, is expected to be finalized by the end of 2024.
Advanced Manufacturing and Technology Integration
Prysmian Group plans to produce the submarine cables at its Arco Felice plant in Italy. The company will manufacture the land cables at either its Delft facility in the Netherlands or its Grond plant in France. Cable installation will be carried out using Prysmian’s advanced cable-laying vessel, the Leonardo da Vinci.
As part of the Prysmian Marinus Link project, the company will also install its PRY-CAM permanent monitoring system. This technology provides continuous distributed temperature sensing (DTS) and acoustic sensing (DAS) to track all essential performance data, ensuring reliable and safe cable operations.
Strengthening Prysmian Group’s Global Leadership
“This capacity reservation agreement carries strategic importance for Prysmian,” said Detlev Waimann, Chief Commercial Officer of Projects BU for Prysmian Group. “It highlights our continued global leadership and reinforces our presence in Oceania as a trusted supplier of high-tech cable systems to power utilities.”
Supporting Australia’s Evolving Energy Landscape
Initially, the Marinus Link project called for two 750-megawatt cables estimated at $3 billion in 2017. However, rising raw material costs and inflation increased total projections to $5.4 billion. The revised design will move forward with a single cable, valued between $1.9 and $2 billion. This version will still deliver approximately two-thirds of the original project’s power capacity—an efficient and cost-optimized solution for Australia’s evolving energy needs.
