Labor approves SunCable’s NT mega solar farm
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The news: The Albanese Government has approved SunCable’s Australia-Asia Power Link to become the country’s largest solar farm, bringing Mike Cannon-Brookes' vision closer to reality.
The project will feed industrial customers in Darwin and transmit solar energy from the NT to Singapore via an undersea cable.
The numbers: Located in the Northern Territory, the 12,000-hectare solar farm project is expected to produce up to 4GW of renewable energy, enough to power 3 million homes.
The approval also includes an 800km transmission line to Darwin and an underwater cable to the end of Australian waters, environment minister Tanya Plibersek said in a statement.
The permit comes with strict environmental conditions to protect local wildlife, such as the Greater Bilby, Plibersek added.
Mike Cannon-Brookes' SunCable estimates Power Link will provide over $20 billion in economic value to the territory, and create around 6,800 jobs annually during construction, peaking at 14,300.
The context: The highly ambitious project is the world’s largest of its kind and could become one of the most significant industrial developments in Australia’s history.
Last month, the project received environmental approvals from the Northern Territory Government and NT Environment Protection Authority, a key milestone before SunCable reaches a final investment decision by 2027.
What they said: Plibersek called it a "generation-defining piece of infrastructure" that will help put downward pressure on energy prices and positions Australia as a leader in green energy.
She contrasted the project with nuclear alternatives championed by the Liberal-National opposition that she said were slower and costlier.
“The energy generated by this project is almost six times the amount of energy a 700MW large nuclear reactor could deliver, based on IEAA figures,” she said.
“We have no idea what the equivalent to Peter Dutton’s anti-renewables nuclear plan might be because there are no details other than it being too slow and too expensive Australia.”
The source: Tanya Plibersek media release
