INTHEBLACK February 2024 - Magazine - Page 16
AT A GLANCE
A background in finance has
helped Ross Burridge AM FCPA
navigate the evolving
renewable energy sector.
At TasNetworks, Burridge
heads up a A$1 billion
project set to bolster the
state’s electricity grid.
It is connected to the Marinus
Link project, which will
transport clean energy between
Tasmania and the mainland.
STRATEGIST
SWITCHED ON
Ross Burridge AM FCPA is laying the groundwork for TasNetworks’
major national electricity and telecommunications project, Marinus
Link, which is set to connect Tasmania with the mainland.
Words Megan Breen
Photography Matthew Scott
With more than four decades in
the energy sector under his belt, few
business leaders are better placed to
wrangle operations at TasNetworks than
Ross Burridge AM FCPA.
It is an exciting time for the company, as its
subsidiary, Marinus Link, is moving through
the critical design and approvals phase.
The Marinus Link is set to be a clean
energy game changer for Australia,
connecting Tasmania and Victoria to enable
the flow of telecommunication and clean
electricity in both directions.
Once completed, it will enable excess
energy generated on the mainland to be
stored in Tasmania’s hydro dams, which can
be tapped for use when national electricity
market demand outstrips supply. Any excess
in Tasmania’s renewable energy and storage
resources will also be available for use
throughout the national grid.
Burridge, who leads executive operations at
TasNetworks, says the project has enormous
16 INTHEBLACK February 2024
potential to address Australia’s renewable
energy needs.
“The need for us to connect new renewable
generation is growing by the minute,” says
Burridge. “Marinus Link is part of the
solution, because it allows us to export firm
energy generation from Tasmania to the
mainland.”
It also provides economic benefits to the
state, “because it will encourage developers
to come into Tasmania to build more
generation, such as wind farms and solar
farms”.
This is infrastructure on a massive scale
with room to grow even further in the long
term. The project has been staged with one
initial 750-megawatt cable, with a second
possible after the final investment decision,
which has been set for December 2024.
LIGHTBULB MOMENT
Burridge’s interest in renewable energy was
ignited when he took up a role with Hydro
