SunCable says no secrecy on facility, residents demand transparency

Renewable energy company SunCable is looking to use the site to build high voltage subsea cable for the Australia-Asia Power Link.

The $35 billion project will connect Darwin to Singapore through a 4300 kilometre undersea cable.

While the project is still in the early planning stages and SunCable hasn't received permission for the facility, locals have made their voices heard on several key issues.

The build will occupy 45 hectares of what is currently bushland, replacing it with a 200-metre tall tower that locals say could "forever change the outlook all around the valley and destroy its natural beauty".

SunCable has hosted a number of community sessions to gauge residents' thoughts on the project and clear up ambiguity.

In a session at George Town this week, project manager Christian Perez Torres said Bell Bay was one of several that the company had considered.

The location was ultimately chosen as the preferred site because the facility could be built on rock, the area was protected from the elements and encountered no seismic activity.

George Town's proximity to TasRail services was also highlighted as a factor, allowing raw material to be easily transported to the site.

"We decided that there are a lot more benefits than drawbacks, even with the distance from the market," Mr Perez Torres said.

Although the area is already partially zoned for utilities, residents were critical of the "lack of transparency" in the selection of the Bell Bay location.

"We don't have a lot of confidence in certain processes because the accountability isn't there," one person said.

"All we see is this pole growing and it's raising alarm bells."

Concerns were also raised over if SunCable could be relied on to complete the facility and not abandon it half-done should it became economically unviable.

Mr Perez Torres said SunCable was consulting the community more than it legally had to.

Officials added that the lack of details wasn't due to secrecy, but because the project was still in its early design phase.

"SunCable has come to both sides of the Tamar early," said SunCable's stakeholder engagement lead Sophie Rowlands.

Following the community consultations, the company will host two public exhibitions and a public hearing to receive further responses from residents.