SunCable has obtained its principal environmental approval from the Northern Territory Government and NT Environment Protection Authority for its flagship Australia-Asia Power Link (AAPowerLink) project, paving the way for the next phase of development.
This approval marks a significant step forward, allowing the company to progress the development, commercial, and engineering activities required to advance the project to the Final Investment Decision (FID).
The AAPowerLink project is poised to position the Northern Territory (NT) at the forefront of the global shift towards renewable energy, the firm said in a news release.
It aims to develop the world’s largest renewable energy precinct in the Barkly region of the NT, ultimately supplying 24/7 green electricity to customers in Darwin and Singapore.
Over two stages of development, the project will deliver up to 4GW of green electricity to industrial customers in Darwin (900MW in Stage 1 and approximately 3GW in Stage 2), and 1.75GW to customers in Singapore via a 4,300km subsea cable.
SunCable Australia’s Managing Director, Cameron Garnsworthy, hailed the environmental approval as a crucial milestone for the project.
“SunCable is delighted to receive environmental approval from the Northern Territory Government to proceed with our flagship Australia-Asia Power Link project,” Garnsworthy said.
“This approval allows us to progress the development, commercial, and engineering activities required to advance the project to Final Investment Decision targeted in 2027.”
Garnsworthy emphasised the project’s potential to revolutionise the energy landscape: “SunCable is founded with the belief that Australia can lead the world’s energy transition.”
He continued, “AAPowerLink presents a unique opportunity for the Northern Territory to be at the forefront of this global shift through the development of its world-class renewable energy resources to supply customers in Darwin and Singapore with 24/7 green electricity.”
“This will underpin a new wave of green industrial development in the NT, via prospective projects that include green minerals, hydrogen, e-fuels, and data centres.”
The environmental approval includes critical infrastructure components of the AAPowerLink project, such as a solar generation and utility-scale storage site at Powell Creek with a generation capacity of up to 10GW, an approximately 800km High Voltage Direct Current (HVDC) overhead transmission line to Murrumujuk, north-east of Darwin, a Darwin converter site to handle electricity conversion, and a subsea HVDC cable stretching from Darwin to the Indonesian border.
Economically, the company said the project is expected to inject over AUD $20 billion into the NT during its construction and initial 35 years of operation.
It will create an average of 6,800 direct and indirect jobs annually during the construction phase, peaking at 14,300 jobs.
“This future-facing project will invest deeply in local communities in the Northern Territory from Central Australia to the Top End, as we create many thousands of local jobs, skill up Australian workers, and offer a host of opportunities for local businesses and suppliers,” Garnsworthy noted.
