SunCable receives approval to export renewable electricity from Australia to Singapore via a 4,300-kilometer underwater cable.
The power will come from the world’s largest solar and battery park, to be built in northern Australia at a cost of 35 billion dollars. The solar energy in the cable will cover 15 percent of Singapore’s electricity needs.
Solar energy from Australia to Singapore
The Australian company SunCable has received approval from Singapore’s energy authority to export renewable electricity from northern Australia. This will be done via the world’s longest underwater cable, 4,300 kilometers long, six times longer than today’s longest underwater cable.
The cable will deliver green electricity around the clock thanks to Australia’s high solar radiation, which is 40 percent higher than in the rest of Southeast Asia.
The electricity will come from the world’s largest solar and battery park to be built near Tennant Creek in the Northern Territory, at an estimated cost of 35 billion dollars.
Project progresses in stages
SunCable is being developed in two phases. The first phase includes the solar and battery park and an 800-kilometer transmission link to Darwin. The second phase consists of the long underwater cable to Singapore.
The company aims for a final investment decision in 2027 and plans to start delivering green electricity to Singapore shortly after 2035. Potential customers include Singapore’s large energy retailers and technology companies with data centers, which require large amounts of electricity for operation and cooling.
Singapore invests in green electricity
Singapore, which currently gets 95 percent of its electricity from natural gas, has increased its targets for importing renewable electricity. By the mid-2030s, the country will import six gigawatts of green electricity, corresponding to approximately 30 percent of expected demand.
