The EPA gives green tick to massive SunCable project
One of Australia’s largest infrastructure projects has got a green tick from environmental regulators. Read what was granted.
Northern Territory
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The NT Environment Protection Authority has approved SunCable’s visionary AAPowerLink project, clearing the way for more than $20bn private investment into the Territory economy over the next decade.
The world’s largest renewable energy and transmission project, if it goes ahead SunCable’s plan could become one of the largest industrial developments in Australian history.
Over two development stages, the project aims to deliver green electricity to customers in Darwin and also to Singapore, via a 4300km subsea cable.
In two stages it will deliver up to 4GW of green electricity to Darwin, with a focus on Middle Arm, and 1.75GW to customers in Singapore.
The project would deliver more than $20bn in economic value during the construction phase and first 35 years of operation.
It would support 6800 direct and indirect jobs for each year of the construction phase, with a peak workforce of 14,300.
The environmental approval includes the 10GW solar generation and utility-scale storage site at Powell Creek; an approximately 800km High Voltage Direct Current (HVDC) overhead transmission line from the Tennant Creek solar precinct to Murrumujuk, north-east of Darwin; the Darwin converter site including the terminal location for the transmission line and subsea HVDC cable from the Darwin Converter Station to the end of Australian territorial waters to the Indonesian border.
SunCable managing director Cameron Garnsworthy said the major approval milestone provided the company and its project with considerable momentum as it targeted a final investment decision by 2027.
“SunCable is delighted to receive environmental approval from the Northern Territory government to proceed with our flagship Australia-Asia PowerLink project,” Mr
Garnsworthy said.
“This approval allows us to progress the development, commercial, and engineering
activities required to advance the project to Final Investment Decision.
“SunCable is founded with the belief that Australia can lead the world’s energy transition.
“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 Northern Territory, via prospective projects that include green minerals, hydrogen, e-fuels, and data centres.”
Next steps for SunCable include finalising the best avenue for supply of industrial-scale green electricity to Darwin and Middle Arm, negotiating Indigenous Land Use Agreements with
Traditional Owners, investigating the potential for wind generation into the project to drive down energy prices and finetuning the overall AAPowerLink system.
The AAPowerLink project has had Major Projects Status with the NT government since 2019, and the Commonwealth since 2020.
The company hopes to begin supplying electricity to markets in the Territory and Singapore in the early 2030s.
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Originally published as The EPA gives green tick to massive SunCable project
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