Australia
Australia greenlights US$13.5B project for solar power export to Singapore
On Wednesday, Australia approved a A$20 billion (US$13.5 billion) solar project to transmit energy from a vast northern solar farm to Singapore via a 4,300km undersea cable. Environment Minister Tanya Plibersek said the AAPowerLink project by SunCable will meet growing renewable energy demands both in Australia and internationally.
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SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA: On Wednesday (21 August), Australia announced the approval of a massive A$20 billion (US$13.5 billion) solar project, which aims to transmit energy from a vast solar farm in the country’s north to Singapore via a 4,300km undersea cable.
Environment Minister Tanya Plibersek said Australia-Asia power link (AAPowerLink) project, a flagship development project by the country’s renewable energy firm SunCable, is set to meet increasing renewable energy demands both domestically and internationally.
Plibersek highlighted that the expansive solar farm would generate enough power to supply three million homes and include panels, batteries, and eventually, a cable connecting Australia with Singapore.
“It will be the largest solar precinct in the world and heralds Australia as the world leader in green energy,” she said.
Pilbersek affirmed that the project’s approval comes with stringent conditions aimed at environmental protection, including avoiding the habitat of the greater bilby, a small marsupial with long floppy ears.
In a Facebook post, Plibersek expressed excitement over the approval of what is one of the largest renewable energy projects globally.
According to a press statement issued by SunCable, a final investment decision is anticipated in 2027, with electricity supply projected to commence in the early 2030s.
SunCable, backed by billionaire Mike Cannon-Brookes, described the approval as “a vote of confidence” in the project.
Cannon-Brookes, co-founder of tech firm Atlassian and now an environmental activist, had previously asserted the project’s viability and anticipated interest from external investors.
“SunCable will now focus its efforts on the next stage of planning to advance the project towards a Final Investment Decision targeted by 2027,” said SunCable Australia Managing Director Cameron Garnsworthy, although he did not detail the project’s financing plans.
The statement mentioned the firm will be investing further in communities in the Northern Territory, Singapore and Indonesia to progress the next phase.
SunCable is also in discussions with Singapore’s energy regulator regarding the subsea cable inter-connector component and with the Indonesian government about constructing the cable within its waters.
The company stated that over two stages of development, the AAPowerLink project aims to deliver up to 6GW of continuous green electricity to large-scale industrial customers in both Darwin and Singapore through the 4,300km subsea cable.
“The AAPowerLink can create multiple new export industries for Australia by enabling new green industrial development in the Northern Territory, and via subsea transmission of renewable electricity.”
The project had previously received clearance from the Northern Territory government and its environmental watchdog last month.
Spanning two stages of development, the project aims to deliver up to 6 gigawatts of green electricity to large-scale industrial customers in Darwin, the capital of Australia’s Northern Territory, and in Singapore.
This approval aligns with the centre-left government’s push for renewable energy, despite the opposition coalition’s proposal to replace coal-fired power with nuclear plants by 2050, a move currently restricted in Australia.
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S2
The question will be:
How much $$$ in Billions and over how long for this project?
Will it be another failed Sport Hub that drains our resources to enrich certain group of elites?
More than 4,300 km long of copper wires? How thick the copper will be? As thick as elephant for long distance current transport?
How about the under sea power cable ruptured by frequent volcanic activities of Indonesia?
If this is so viable, guess what, it could have supply the energy to whole Australia by now. But it isn’t! Are we so idiot?
Solar panels sound wonderful UNTIL … you have to clean them (of bird shit for example) and moss/algae etc…. There are omni-phobic coatings but this will lead to increased cost and potential reduction of power conversion efficiencies.
15 to 20 years from now, how will Fantasy Island deal with the hugh amount of dysfunctional used solar panels?
These are being installed on rooftops of all the HDB now. And it seems these have a maximum life span of 25 years but will start to lose efficiency from 15 years onward.
Clean energy today may produce toxic waste for tomorrow.
Well LHL won’t be here to answer for that!
Why couldn’t we create this ourselves?Will the population be able to afford this? 3million homes? Population to hit 9million? It is not sustainable. Global warming is going to teach the PAP a hard, hard lesson. Unfortunately we have to live the consequences of their actions and extravagant spending of monies belonging to the present population being spent for new citizens.
Firstly, SG buy bulk liquefied gas cheaply from Indonesia on long term basis, but our electricity cost still so very high. Because they pegged the cost to crude oil prices.
Now come this Micky Mouse project. There are vast empty lands so near to Singapore in East Malaysia and Indonesia but we go all the way thousands of km to Australia to buy solar energy
Get ready to pay through the nose for unreliable power that easily be disrupted by a “mishap” from a fishing trawl or ship’s anchor. Maybe the ruling government should ask pirates to download the “SG Secure” app just in case.
How can we maintain “Total Defense” when we pay money to rely on foreign nations for our energy security. How much are we spending on the paper military again?
It’s a GIANT SCAM. Massive numbers of solar panels, the materials dig from earth, and the way its made can never be environmental friendly. The vast areas it needed to install these panels is in fact damaging the environment. And the 4300km of cables and transmitters and so on…. renewable energy???
Correct me
Few years ago, the electricity market liberalised, SG can harvest buckets of benefits, select best choices, and presumably save money for other more pressing needs of living.
Was it a failure?
And then now this happens?
Whats FULLY WRONG with lawmakers heads, values, and morals??
Seems SGpns ARE ULTIMATELY stg they play as they like, and when they like, How they like.