Australian government approves ‘world’s largest solar precinct’

NEWCASTLE, Australia (AP) — An ambitious plan to build a massive solar farm in remote northern Australia that will stream…

NEWCASTLE, Australia (AP) — An ambitious plan to build a massive solar farm in Australia’s remote north that would transmit power via an undersea cable to Singapore is moving closer to fruition, with the Australian government on Wednesday granting environmental permits for the A$30 billion ($19 billion) project.

Australian company Sun Cable plans to build a 12,400-hectare solar farm and transmit electricity to the northern Australian city of Darwin via an 800-kilometre (497-mile) overhead transmission line, and then to large industrial customers in Singapore via a 4,300-kilometre (2,672-mile) undersea cable.

The Australia-Asia PowerLink project aims to deliver up to six gigawatts of green energy a year, which Australian Environment Minister Tanya Plibersek said would “help transform Australia into a renewable energy superpower” and boost its economy.

“This massive project is a generation-defining piece of infrastructure,” Plibersek said in a written statement Wednesday. “It will be the largest solar district in the world — and heralds Australia as a global leader in green energy.”

The project was initially backed by Australian mining magnate Andrew Forrest and Atlassian co-founder Mike Cannon-Brookes, and the plans were highlighted during a state visit by then-Singaporean Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong and Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese as part of the Green Economy Accord in 2022.

In January 2023, the project collapsed when Sun Cable entered voluntary administration due to a funding dispute between Forrest and Cannon-Brookes. In May of that year, a consortium led by Grok Ventures of Cannon-Brookes acquired the company, completing the acquisition in September 2023.

SunCable Australia managing director Cameron Garnsworthy said the company was pleased to have cleared a major regulatory hurdle “and will now focus its efforts on the next stage of planning to ensure the project can be delivered with a final investment decision by 2027”.

The company said electricity deliveries would begin in the early 2030s.

Energy has been a politically contentious issue in Australia for nearly two decades. The country relies on coal and gas, and on export fees for these fuels, which help fuel its economy.

This dependence on fossil fuels has made the country historically one of the world’s largest emitters of greenhouse gases per capita.

Australia’s main opposition party announced plans in June to build the country’s first nuclear power plants as early as 2035, leaving the major parties divided over how to cut Australia’s greenhouse gas emissions at next year’s election.

Since 2007, no party has entered the election with the same carbon reduction policy.

“Australians must choose between the renewable energy transition that is already underway and creating jobs and lowering prices, or paying for an expensive nuclear fantasy that may never happen,” Plibersek said.