SunCable project given green tick
In a significant step towards making Australia a renewable energy superpower, the SunCable project has secured critical environmental approval from both the Northern Territory and Australian Governments.
SunCable’s flagship Australia-Asia (AA) Power Link, which proposes to include the world’s largest solar farm of 12,000 hectares, is expected to generate up to 4GW of renewable energy to Darwin via 800km of overhead transmission from the heart of the Territory and up to 1.75GW of energy to Singapore via a 4,300km subsea cable.
In what has been described as Australia’s “biggest renewable energy project ever”, the initiative will be economically and socially transformational for the Northern Territory. It is expected to deliver more than AUD $20 billion in economic value during the construction period and first 35 years of operation.
The SunCable project will enable a green manufacturing sector to emerge in Darwin, produce renewable solar power for potential export to Singapore, and provide a long-term source of ongoing employment in remote areas.
A Federal Government spokesperson labelled the massive project as a “generation-defining piece of infrastructure” and “heralds Australia as the world leader in green energy”. “It shows that the energy transition is real and it’s happening right now.”
SunCable Australia’s Managing Director Cameron Garnsworthy said this was a landmark moment in the project’s journey.
“SunCable is pleased to receive Commonwealth Government approval under the EPBC Act, following four years of extensive assessment and public consultation with stakeholders around Australia,” he said. “SunCable will now focus its efforts on the next stage of planning to advance the project towards a Final Investment Decision targeted by 2027.”
SunCable will be investing further in communities in the Northern Territory, Singapore, and Indonesia to progress the next phase.
The final project metrics will be decided after more studies on the wind resource, and potential customers, and will be subject to further environmental approvals. Electricity supply is expected to commence in the early 2030s.