Premier Peter Gutwein is not ruling out joint Tasmanian and national ownership of the proposed Marinus Link electricity cable to Victoria.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
The state government would work with the federal government "to ensure we arrive at a model that will deliver the best outcome for this state now and into the future", Mr Gutwein told parliament on Wednesday.
He was responding to a question from Clark independent MHA Madeleine Ogilvie.
"Premier, isn't it time for Tasmania to take the bold and pragmatic step of ensuring we own and operate the Marinus Link cable?" Ms Ogilvie asked.
She agreed with the state government's view that Tasmanians should not pay more than their fair share for the cable, and suggested the creation of a special purpose vehicle to allow the federal and state governments to jointly own the project.
Mr Gutwein said he welcomed Ms Ogilvie's support for a project "that will deliver thousands of jobs and billions of dollars in investment in this state".
The cable will allow increased exports of Tasmanian renewable energy to the mainland and, coupled with the Battery of the Nation scheme including pumped hydro developments, is expected to firm up further growth in Tasmanian renewables while providing the state a significant income stream.
Mr Gutwein said the business case indicated strongly Marinus would be a net positive for the state.
He told parliament Marinus would be national infrastructure and users should pay, largely being Eastern Seaboard states.
Mr Gutwein said many options for an investment vehicle were being suggested.
He said the government would continue to work closely with the federal government and the business and investment sectors and was determined to bring the project to fruition.
Ms Ogilvie said Tasmania had an incredible opportunity to secure its commercial and energy futures and create thousands of jobs.
"The time is right now for Tasmania to assert its dominance in the nation's future energy market," she said.
"We are leaders in renewable energy and we have the chance to on-sell Tasmania's renewable energy to the nation.
"It is positive to hear that the government is currently looking at a model that will deliver the best outcome for the state, and the Premier not ruling out a Tasmanian-Australian ownership model.
"I believe that it is imperative that Tasmanians own and operate this important piece of infrastructure.
"I look forward to the government delivering a model that sees Tasmania benefit."
Energy Minister Guy Barnett recently said Marinus would be a regulated asset and no decision had yet been made on ownership or operational matters.