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Billion-dollar project aims to connect Australia and Singapore via a submarine clean energy network with thousands of kilometers of cables, giant battery storage, and one of the largest solar farms on the planet, in an initiative that could transform renewable electricity into an international export product.
Australia is advancing the development of the Australia-Asia PowerLink, a SunCable project that plans to deliver solar energy from the Northern Territory to Singapore through a high-voltage transmission network and approximately 4,300 kilometers of submarine cables.
The venture combines a mega solar farm of up to 12,000 hectares, battery storage, a landline to Darwin, and a high-voltage direct current submarine system, known as HVDC.
The proposal is to transform a region with strong solar irradiation into an electricity source for Australia and Southeast Asia.
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The scale explains the international interest. Singapore has little space for large renewable plants, while northern Australia has vast areas, low population density, and high solar potential.
This geographical difference supports the idea of exporting clean electricity as gas or ore is exported today.
Mega solar farm in the Australian desert drives project
The core of PowerLink is located in the Barkly region, in the Northern Territory, in an area near Powell Creek, between Elliot and Tennant Creek.
There, SunCable plans to install one of the largest solar complexes in the world, with a projected generation capacity on a gigawatt scale.
Australian environmental approval allows for up to 10 gigawatts of solar energy and up to 42 gigawatt-hours of battery storage on site.
The company, however, is working on phased implementation, according to contracts, financing, and energy buyers’ demand.
The electricity generated inland will be carried by an overhead line of approximately 800 kilometers to Darwin.
Part of the supply may serve industries in northern Australia, especially in areas planned to receive lower carbon emission activities.
The rest will proceed to the most complex stage: conversion to high-voltage direct current and transmission by sea.
This technology reduces losses over long distances and is used in large electrical interconnections, although the route proposed by SunCable is rare in scale within the sector.
Submarine cables face unprecedented challenges in the ocean
The connection to Singapore will depend on cables installed on the seabed, passing through areas under the jurisdiction of different countries, including Indonesia.
The route requires studies of the ocean floor, environmental assessment, international licenses, and planning to avoid navigation routes, fishing areas, and sensitive zones.
Before installation, specialized vessels conduct surveys with sonar and other equipment to identify uneven areas, rocks, geological faults, and sections where the cable will need to be buried.
In shallow waters, protection against anchors and fishing activities often requires additional shielding and trenches on the seabed.
The manufacturing of the cables is also a decisive stage.
Metallic conductors, insulation, monitoring optical fibers, and protective layers need to withstand pressure, corrosion, maritime movement, and decades of operation.
Any failure at sea may require repair ships, remotely operated vehicles, and high-cost technical splices.
The exported energy is expected to reach Singapore from the mid-2030s, according to the latest schedule released by SunCable.
In 2024, the Energy Market Authority of Singapore granted conditional approval to import 1.75 gigawatts of renewable electricity from the project starting in 2035.
Project depends on international agreements and billions in investments
The PowerLink does not depend solely on engineering.
By crossing borders, exclusive economic zones, and different electricity markets, the project requires agreements with governments, regulators, traditional communities, and energy buyers.
SunCable underwent restructuring in 2023, after entering voluntary administration.
The company was reorganized under the control of a consortium linked to Grok Ventures, owned by entrepreneur Mike Cannon-Brookes, and resumed project development.
Since then, the company has obtained environmental approvals in Australia, conditional authorization in Singapore, and regulatory advances in Indonesia for the submarine system.
Even so, the final investment decision remains a fundamental step before large-scale construction.
The estimated cost has already been disclosed at around 30 billion Australian dollars, a value that may vary depending on the final design, contracts, schedule, and financing conditions.
SunCable itself presents the PowerLink as a phased project, rather than a single work delivered all at once.
Singapore seeks clean energy outside its own territory
Singapore has high electrical demand, limited territory, and few areas available for large-scale renewable generation.
The import of low-emission energy is part of the country’s strategy to diversify supply and reduce dependence on fossil fuels.
For Australia, the project represents the chance to create a new export chain based on renewable electricity.
Instead of transporting fuels, the country would start selling already generated energy, using long-distance transmission infrastructure.
This model still needs to prove commercial, technical, and regulatory viability on an unprecedented scale.
The project involves risks of cost, licensing, construction, maintenance, and contracting buyers, points that usually define the success of international mega-infrastructures.
Even with these obstacles, PowerLink has become a global reference by bringing together solar generation, batteries, terrestrial transmission, HVDC conversion, and submarine cables in a single chain.
If it progresses as planned, it could redefine how countries with few local renewable resources purchase clean energy from more favorable regions.
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