SunCable’s major renewable energy project, the Australia-Asia PowerLink (AAPowerLink), has obtained principal environmental approval from the government of Australia’s Northern Territory (NT) and the NT Environment Protection Authority. This is a crucial step in advancing the project towards a final investment decision.
The approval allows SunCable to proceed with the necessary development, commercial, and engineering activities for the AAPowerLink, which aims to become one of the largest renewable energy projects in Australian history.
The project plans to create a 4GW renewable energy precinct in the Barkly region of the Northern Territory, delivering green electricity in two stages – 900MW in Stage 1 and an additional 3GW in Stage 2 for Darwin, with 1.75GW for Singapore via a 4,300km subsea cable.
The environmental approval covers critical aspects of the project, including a solar generation facility, a large-scale storage facility at Powell Creek with 10GW capacity, an 800km high voltage direct current (HVDC) transmission line, a Darwin converter site, and a subsea HVDC cable to the limit of Australian waters.
The approval follows extensive consultations, including four periods of Territory-wide public engagement and continuous stakeholder interactions since 2020. With the final investment decision expected in 2027, the project aims to commence electricity supply in the early 2030s.
Economically, the AAPowerLink project is projected to contribute A$20 billion ($13.5 billion) to the Northern Territory during its construction and first 35 years of operation, supporting 6,800 direct and indirect jobs annually, with a peak workforce of 14,300.
The AAPowerLink project has been recognized as a major project by both the NT government since 2019 and the Commonwealth government since 2020, and has been listed as investment-ready on Infrastructure Australia’s priority initiative list.
SunCable Australia managing director Cameron Garnsworthy stated: “SunCable is delighted to receive environmental approval from the Northern Territory government to proceed with our flagship Australia-Asia Power Link project.
“This approval allows us to progress the development, commercial, and engineering activities required to advance the project to final investment decision targeted in 2027. SunCable is founded with the belief that Australia can lead the world’s energy transition.”
Source :SunCable
