Battery of the Nation: $2B Tasmanian pumped hydro project advances to next stage

The federal and Tasmanian governments have jointly confirmed a combined $2 billion funding commitment for the Battery of the Nation pumped hydro program, advancing the project that will see up to 2,500 megawatts of new pumped hydro storage capacity developed across Tasmania's central highlands using the existing dam and waterway infrastructure that Hydro Tasmania has been operating for 100 years.

The Battery of the Nation concept — using Tasmania's existing hydro storage as a large-scale battery for the national electricity market through the proposed Marinus Link undersea cable connection to Victoria — has been developed over several years and has now received the investment certainty that allows the detailed engineering and environmental assessment to proceed toward a final investment decision.

Energy Minister Chris Bowen described the funding commitment as "a once-in-a-century investment in Australia's energy security," noting that the project's combination of long-duration storage, renewable generation, and the ability to provide rapid response power to the mainland grid when solar and wind output was interrupted would be invaluable as the national electricity market completed its transition away from fossil fuel generation.

Hydro Tasmania chief executive Paul Grimes said the funding confirmation allowed the organisation to begin the detailed site investigations and environmental impact assessments for the priority pumped hydro development sites, with Lake Cethana in the northwest and the Tarraleah scheme in the central highlands identified as the most advanced in terms of technical feasibility.

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