SunCable has received principal environmental approval from Australia’s Northern Territory (NT) Government and the NT Environment Protection Authority to proceed with its Australia-Asia Power Link (AAPowerLink) project. This milestone allows SunCable to advance the necessary development, commercial, and engineering activities towards a Final Investment Decision (FID).
The AAPowerLink project aims to establish the world’s largest renewable energy precinct in the Barkly region of the NT. Over two stages of development, it will deliver up to 4 Gigawatts (GW) of green electricity to industrial customers in Darwin (900 Megawatts (MW) in Stage 1 and an additional 3 GW in Stage 2) and 1.75 GW to customers in Singapore via a 4,300 km subsea cable. The company anticipates reaching an FID in 2027 and beginning electricity supply in the early 2030s.
Project Components
The AAPowerLink will feature a large-scale solar farm, energy storage, and a transmission system designed to provide renewable electricity to the Northern Territory and export it to Singapore. The solar precinct in the Barkly region will span 12,000 hectares and generate 17-20 GW (peak) from solar photovoltaic (PV) arrays. For comparison, Loy Yang, Australia’s largest power station in Victoria, has a capacity of 3.6 GW, though coal-fired power plants generally produce more power per GW capacity than solar PV.
The project will also include 36-42 GW hours of energy storage and an 800 km High Voltage Direct Current (HVDC) overhead transmission line connecting the solar precinct to Murrumujuk, northeast of Darwin. Murrumujuk will house the project’s converter site, converting electricity from HVDC to High-Voltage Alternating Current (HVAC) for Darwin’s connection, before converting it back to HVDC for transmission to Singapore.
Additionally, the project will feature a subsea HVDC cable extending from the Darwin Converter Station to the Indonesian border at the end of Australian territorial waters.
Economic and Environmental Benefits
SunCable projects that AAPowerLink will contribute more than USD 13.5 billion (AUD 20 billion) in economic value to the Northern Territory during its construction and the first 35 years of operation. The project aligns with the Australian government’s priorities for economic development in northern Australia and the transition to less carbon-intensive energy sources. It aims to lower electricity prices in the Darwin region for both residential and industrial customers, reduce Australia’s greenhouse gas emissions, and establish a new renewable electricity export industry for northern Australia.
Cameron Garnsworthy, SunCable Australia’s managing director, highlighted that the project would support a new wave of green industrial development in the NT, with potential projects including green minerals, hydrogen, e-fuels, and data centers. Indirect benefits to Australia include increased economic activity from supporting industries during construction and operation, as well as new industry investments leveraging lower energy costs.
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