by
A powerplant in Gars Am Kamp, Austra (Image: Rapheal Cruz)
After years of planning and discussion, Sydney based renewable energy start-up SunCable has received approval for its Australian half of their flagship project, the Australia-Asia Power Link (AAPowerLink). This plan involves the transmission of solar energy from Northern Australia to Darwin, then to Singapore via an 4,300 km undersea cable.
Here comes the sun
SunCable was founded in 2018, but its flagship project has yet to be implemented due to a number of issues during the development process. In one case, the start-up entered voluntary administration in January last year, leading to a halt of the project.
After SunCable’s assets were sold to Grok Ventures, owned by Mike Cannon-Brookes, the project moved forward with the goal to bring power first to Singapore, then Indonesia. Cannon-Brokokes is also the Co-Founder of Australian software company, Atlassian, and likely contributed financially to the AAPowerLink project, allowing it to move forward.
According to SunCable, Australia receives 58 million petajoules of solar energy — or 5, 800, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000 joules — each year. Therefore, Australia is well positioned to become a solar energy supplier to the rest of the world.
The solar farm will be located in the North of Australia, which receives more sun than other parts of the country due to its proximity to the equator.
Under the sea
The AAPowerLink plans to deliver 6GW of green electricity to industrial customers in Darwin and Singapore over two stages of development. The first stage of the project involves building an 800 km overhead transmission cable between the solar battery and Darwin, while the second stage of the project involves the 4, 300 km undersea cable between Darwin and Singapore.
SunCable’s planned AAPowerLink (Image: SunCable)
Once both stages of the S$17.6 million solar project have been executed, it will significantly contribute to Singapore 2030 Green Plan.
As of 2023, close to 95% of Singapore’s electricity was produced from natural gas. While natural gas is the cleanest form of fossil fuels, it is still a fossil fuel and still contributes to greenhouse gas emission. This project will then provide Singapore with a consistent source of renewable energy.
Australia first
The approval announced today was by the Commonwealth Government, after being assessed and approved by the Commonwealth Minister for the Environment and
Water. This is the last approval necessary for the Australian part of their project; last Month, SunCable received approval from the regional regulatory bodies, the Northern Territory Government and the Northern Territory Environment Protection Authority.
Besides building a solar farm, SunCable will also be manufacturing their own transmission cables. This not only accelerates their output, but also provides SunCable with an opportunity to scale their business beyond providing renewable energy into manufacturing for electricity supply chains.
Singapore Next
In other words, SunCable can start building the Darwin portion of their project. The Singapore leg of the project is still yet to come.
“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,” said Cameron Garnsworthy, the Managing Director of SunCable Australia.
“SunCable is a company founded on a vision to help decarbonise the planet. Today’s announcement is a vote of confidence in the project and SunCable itself as responsible stewards of the local Northern Territory environment. SunCable will now focus its efforts on the next stage of planning to advance the project towards a Final Investment Decision targeted by 2027.”
