‘Renewable energy superpower’: Major new solar project unveiled

A major new solar project backed by one of Australia’s tech billionaires will set Australia on a path to becoming a “renewable energy superpower”.

Anthony Albanese has lauded the approval of Australia’s largest solar project, backed by tech billionaire Mike Cannon-Brookes.

SunCable’s Australia-Asia Power Link, a 12,000-hectare solar farm slated for development near the Northern Territory town of Tennant Creek, is estimated to generate 4GW – enough energy to power some three million homes.

Environment Minister Tanya Plibersek on Wednesday announced the approval, hailing it as “a massive step towards making Australia a renewable energy superpower”.

“This massive project is a generation-defining piece of infrastructure,” she said.

“It will be the largest solar precinct in the world and heralds Australia as the world leader in green energy.”

Atlassian co-founder Mike Cannon-Brookes has been backing the SunCable project which has been approved by the federal government. Picture: NewsWire / Max Mason-Hubers

The prime minister spoke up the project during question time, in a reply to Greens leader Adam Bandt who asked why the government wasn’t ending the Middle Arm or.

“... on a day when we have approved through the environment minister, Australia’s biggest renewable energy project ever, does the leader of the Greens talk about that?

“No, no, we won’t worry about that. Does he talk about the fact that manufacturing jobs are also going to be created because of Australia’s largest ever renewable energy project? No. Too busy out there preparing to vote once again with the Coalition.”

Mr Albanese said the SunCable project was expected to deliver more than $20bn in economic value to the NT, support an average of 6800 direct and indirect jobs for each year of the construction phase, with a peak work workforce of 14,300.

Earlier Ms Plibersek cited the International Atomic Energy Agency, saying the solar farm would deliver “almost six times the amount of energy a 700MW large nuclear reactor could”.

Environment Minister Tanya Plibersek said the new solar farm would deliver more than 14,300 new jobs in Australia’s Top End. Picture: NewsWire / Martin Ollman

The project will also include an 800km transmission line to Darwin and an underwater cable extending to the edge of Australian waters.

It also aims to eventually transmit 1.75GW of electricity to Singapore via an undersea cable.

“Not only will this project help turn Australia into a renewable energy superpower, it will be a huge boost for the Northern Territory economy,” Ms Plibersek said.

She said it would deliver more than “14,300 new jobs in northern Australia” and “turbocharge our research and manufacturing capacity in renewable technology”.

​“I’ve now ticked off over 55 renewable energy projects, which is enough to power the equivalent of almost seven million homes,” Ms Plibersek said.

The approval comes as Northern Territorians head to the ballots this weekend in a hotly contested territory election.