Australia’s Largest Solar Farm Approved, Plans to Power Singapore

The Royalla Solar Farm in Canberra, Australia on Jun. 28, 2016. Lisa Maree Williams/Getty Images

A solar project designed to transmit power via a high-voltage, 4,300-kilometre cable between Australia and Singapore, passing through Indonesia waters, has been given the green light by Environment Minister Tanya Plibersek.

The SunCable Australia-Asia Power Link (AAPowerLink) is set to become the country’s largest solar farm and will be visible from space.

It will be built on a 12,000-hectare site in the Northern Territory (NT) at the site of a former cattle station, and will also supply power to Darwin.

The company behind the project, SunCable, says Australia’s hot NT region is an ideal location for solar power generation.

“AAPowerLink plans to capture the electricity harvested from a giant integrated renewable energy and battery complex on Powell Creek in the Barkly region of the Northern Territory and transmit this through 800km of overhead transmission to the Darwin region and then on to Singapore,” a statement on the project said.

The overhead transmission line will generally follow the footprint of the Alice Springs to Darwin Railway Corridor.

This approach is expected to reduce the disturbance footprint for construction and maintenance, enhance safety, allow flexibility in choosing routes, and enable the infrastructure to coexist with other infrastructure, leaving the land underneath the lines for other uses.

“Overhead transmission will allow flexibility in route selection through the ability to span sensitive receptors like water courses, habitats, and sacred sites,” SunCable added.

The company also highlighted that the project could generate thousands of jobs and create opportunities for local businesses and investment opportunities across Australia, Singapore, and Indonesia.

The solar farm could, ultimately, generate around 6GW of power for Darwin and Singapore.

After the project went into voluntary administration in January 2023, it was acquired by Australian businessman and software CEO Mike Cannon-Brookes.

Minister Plibersek approved the project on Aug. 21, while also criticising the opposition’s plan for a nuclear Australia.

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

“Australians have a choice between a renewable energy transition that’s already underway creating jobs and driving down prices or paying for an expensive nuclear fantasy that may never happen.”

In June, Opposition Leader Peter Dutton promised to build seven nuclear reactors across Australia if he was successfully elected in the next federal election.

Plibersek says the AAPowerLink would generate more power than a 700MW large nuclear reactor.

“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,” she said.

Supporters of nuclear power argue that it could reduce Australians’ power bills by around 75 percent and have expressed concern about the amount of land needed to generate renewable electricity.

In the race to power Australia, coal has also recently reemerged as a contender, with Coal Australia launching a television campaign to reignite support for what it says is the most reliable form of electricity.

Australia has a goal of reaching net zero by 2050.