Repair work on Basslink, the world’s second largest undersea electricity cable, has been completed and the interconnector has returned to service.
Basslink runs under the sea and connects Tasmania and Victoria. A fault was detected on the cable in January 2016 and repair work has been ongoing since.
Basslink Chief Executive Malcolm Eccles said he was delighted that the interconnector’s service was successfully restored.
“We are pleased to resume normal operations,” Mr Eccles said.
“I would like to thank our repair team for their hard work and commitment over the past six months.
“I would also like to thank Alcatel-Lucent, Prysmian and the Basslink operational team, lead by Joska Ferencz and Mark Shilliday.”
Regarding the cause of the fault, Mr Eccles said that examinations into fault diagnosis are still ongoing.
Tasmanian Minister for Energy Matthew Groom welcomed the completion of the repair work and said it will help ease the risks associated with Tasmania’s energy supply.
“I would like to take this opportunity to again thank all people across the energy businesses, government and Basslink for the tireless effort to date to ensure energy security in Tasmania is maintained and the Tasmanian economy and jobs have been protected,” Mr Groom said.
