Bold or bonkers: A $12b plan to build a transtasman electricity cable

Taslink wants to build a submarine electricity cable where only telcos have so far dared to lay. (Image: Getty)

Tue, 04 Mar 2025

An ambitious $12 billion plan to lay a cable between Australia and New Zealand to import and export electricity between the countries has reached its next stage.The company behind the idea, Taslink, said proof of concept work on the project had shown it was feasible, and it was seeking funding for the product development phase.The proposal is to lay a transtasman undersea high-voltage direct current (HVDC) cable stretching 2,600 kilometres between the two countries, with a maximum depth of nearly 5km.The concept is not new.A similar cable...

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