Basslink

[Chaffer, Steven (Sen B. Brown)]

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9 March 2001

Basslink: Potential Corrosion a Key Concern
Future Swedish Interconnectors Required to be Bipolar

Ms Dagmar Nordberg was last years winner of Sweden's Premier environment
prize, awarded by the country's biggest selling magazine and leading
environment groups, for her campaign opposing the SwePol undersea cable.
This work also saw Ms Nordberg win a number of other prestigious
environmental awards in 1999.

The SwePol interconnector was designed as a monopolar connection similar to
the proposed Basslink project across Bass Strait.  Ms Nordberg was
instrumental in the campaign that resulted in the interconnector design
being changed to a bipolar configuration on environmental grounds.

"The Swedish government has required the SwePol interconnector, and all
future interconnections to be bipolar", Ms Nordberg said during her visit to
Tasmania.

"Corrosion was also a major concern with the proposed monopole cable.  The
proponent was required to conduct an inventory of all metal structures
within a 150 km of the cable", Ms Nordberg said.

Senator Bob Brown, who organised Ms Nordberg's visit to Tasmania, has called
on the Australian government to make a bipolar cable mandatory for the
Basslink project.

"Why should Australia have to put up with second-rate technology, which will
ultimately damage our environment, just for the sake of the profits of a
multinational like National Grid International", Senator Brown said.


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