Key cable could be back by June
Executives have reassured Tasmanian Premier Will Hodgman that the Basslink power cable will be repaired in June.
Mr Hodgman said Basslink executives had told him in a meeting in Singapore that the cable would be up and running by mid-year, unless there were more delays.
Basslink normally delivers about 40 per cent of Tasmania's power.
A break “the size of a human thumb” has knocked the cable offline for more than three months but it was definitely a “one-off” event, according to the operators.
The State Government has been forced to bring in dozens of diesel generators to cope with the power crisis, which is made worse by record lows in dams used for hydro-power.
Hodgman met with Lee Boon Yang, chairman of Keppel Corporation, and Khor Un-Hun, chief executive of Keppel Infrastructure Fund Management and trustee-manager of Keppel Infrastructure Trust (KIT), the owners of Basslink.
“Basslink has been working around the clock since the fault was first detected,” he said.
“While repairing the cable is a complex process, progress is being made and Basslink has again confirmed that failing any further adverse events, the repair work is expected to be completed on time.”
Mr Hodgman said the Government said the big diesel rigs would generate more than enough power to cover for the Basslink outage and the dismal rainfalls.