A 2,600-kilometer, $6.9 billion HVDC submarine cable has been proposed which would link Auckland, New Zealand, to Newcastle, in New South Wales, Australia. This would be the longest in the world if it beats other proposed projects like Xlinks and Sun Cable to the finish line – and it will be the deepest, at up to 5-kilometer depth. The very first question to ask here is how the two countries’ energy systems contrast and may complement each other – which benefits? One of the two Taslink founders and co-Directors, Richard Homewood, suggested in a radio interview that for one thing, Australian afternoon solar could serve New Zealand peak evening demand thanks to the timezone difference (Auckland to Newcastle is a…