NEWCASTLE, Australia (AP) — An ambitious plan to build a massive solar farm in Australia’s remote north that would transmit energy to Singapore via an undersea cable moved a step closer after the Australian government granted environmental approval for the $30 billion ($19 billion) project on Wednesday.
The Australian company Sun Cable wants to build a 12,400 hectare solar park and transport the electricity via an 800-kilometer-long overhead line to the northern Australian city of Darwin and from there via a 4,300-kilometer-long submarine cable to large industrial customers in Singapore.
The Australia-Asia PowerLink project is expected to deliver up to six gigawatts of green electricity each year and, according to Australian Environment Minister Tanya Plibersek, will “help transform Australia into a renewable energy superpower” and boost the country’s economy.
“This massive project is a generation-defining piece of infrastructure,” Plibersek said in a written statement on Wednesday. “It will be the largest solar park in the world – and will mark Australia as a global leader in green energy.”
The project was originally backed by Australian mining magnate Andrew Forrest and Atlassian co-founder Mike Cannon-Brookes. The plans were announced during a state visit by then Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong and Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese as part of a “ Green economy ‘ Agreement in 2022.
In January 2023, the project failed when Sun Cable filed for voluntary bankruptcy due to a financing dispute between Forrest and Cannon-Brookes. In May of the same year, a consortium led by Cannon-Brookes’ Grok Ventures acquired the company and completed the acquisition in September 2023.
Cameron Garnsworthy, Managing Director of SunCable Australia, said he was pleased to have overcome a major regulatory hurdle. “We will now focus our efforts on the next phase of planning to advance the project towards a final investment decision, which is targeted for 2027.”
The company said power supply would begin in the early 2030s.
Energy has been a politically charged issue in Australia for nearly two decades. The country relies on coal and gas, as well as royalties from the export of these fuels, to support its economy.
Due to its dependence on fossil fuels, the country has historically been one of the world’s largest emitters of greenhouse gases (measured per capita).
Australia’s largest opposition party announced plans to build in June the country’s first nuclear power plants This is expected to happen as early as 2035, leaving major parties divided over how Australia should reduce its greenhouse gas emissions at next year’s election.
Since 2007, the parties have not gone into the election with the same policies on carbon dioxide reduction.
“Australians have a choice between an energy transition that is already underway, creating jobs and lowering prices, and the option of paying for an expensive nuclear fantasy that may never become a reality,” Plibersek said.
