The Australia–Asia Power Link (AAPowerLink) is a proposed electricity infrastructure project that is planned to include the world's largest solar plant, the world's largest battery, and the world's longest submarine power cable. A solar farm in

Northern Territory The Northern Territory (commonly abbreviated as NT; formally the Northern Territory of Australia) is an Australian territory in the central and central northern regions of Australia. The Northern Territory shares its borders with Western Aust ...

, Australia, will produce up to 20

gigawatt The watt (symbol: W) is the unit of power or radiant flux in the International System of Units (SI), equal to 1 joule per second or 1 kg⋅m2⋅s−3. It is used to quantify the rate of energy transfer. The watt is named after James Wat ...

s of electricity, most of which will be exported to

Singapore Singapore (), officially the Republic of Singapore, is a sovereign island country and city-state in maritime Southeast Asia. It lies about one degree of latitude () north of the equator, off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, bor ...

, and at a later point

Indonesia Indonesia, officially the Republic of Indonesia, is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania between the Indian and Pacific oceans. It consists of over 17,000 islands, including Sumatra, Java, Sulawesi, and parts of Borneo and New Guine ...

, by a 3GW

HVDC A high-voltage direct current (HVDC) electric power transmission system (also called a power superhighway or an electrical superhighway) uses direct current (DC) for electric power transmission, in contrast with the more common alternating curre ...

transmission line. A 36-42 GWh battery is planned to store energy to levelize energy availability as sunlight varies throughout the day. The AAPowerLink is being developed by the Singaporean firm Sun Cable and is projected to begin construction in mid-2023, with operation starting in early 2026 and completion by late 2027. The project will add AU$8 billion to the economy of the Northern Territory, then exporting AU$2 billion of electricity every year.

Design

The solar plant would be in the Northern Territory near Elliott and

Tennant Creek Tennant Creek ( wrm, Jurnkkurakurr) is town located in the Northern Territory of Australia. It is the seventh largest town in the Northern Territory, and is located on the Stuart Highway, just south of the intersection with the western termin ...

in the

Barkly Region The Barkly Region, formerly Barkly Shire, is a local government area of the Northern Territory of Australia, administered by the Barkly Regional Council. The region's main town is Tennant Creek. The region covers an area of and had a populati ...

, using photovoltaic modules designed by Australian company 5B and prefabricated at a proposed factory in Darwin. The solar panels will cover (12km x 10km) in an area with some of the best solar resources in the world. An overhead power line will transmit 6.4 GW to Darwin, where it will transfer to a 2.2 GW undersea power line to Singapore. This undersea cable will be the longest undersea cable in the world, exceeding the existing longest undersea power cable by a factor of around five. Batteries at the solar array in Darwin and Singapore will provide load-balancing for continuous daily dispatch. Singapore produced 95% of its electricity in 2015 from natural gas, but seeks to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions. The AAPowerLink could provide about 20% of Singapore's electricity, with no carbon dioxide generation, reducing Singapore's emissions by 6 million tonnes per year. In September 2021, it was announced that there would be further expansions to the proposed size of the project, from 10GW to 20GW capacity, and from 20GWh to 36-42GWh of battery storage, with a new estimated construction cost of $30 billion dollars. Forecasts suggest up to $A2 billion in exports, 1500 jobs in construction, 350 operational jobs, and 12,000 indirect jobs will be created across Australia, Singapore and Indonesia.

Development

The project was initially called the Australia–Singapore Power Link, as the power line will initially connect those two countries. It was later renamed to Australia-ASEAN, and again to Australia-Asia, as it may also bring electricity to Indonesia. Sun Cable intends to secure all financing by late 2023, beginning construction the following year. It is expected to cost AU$30 billion (US$22.6 billion). Initial investments came from billionaires Mike Cannon-Brookes and

Andrew Forrest John Andrew Henry Forrest (born 18 November 1961), nicknamed Twiggy, is an Australian businessman. He is best known as the former CEO (and current non-executive chairman) of Fortescue Metals Group (FMG), and has other interests in the mining i ...

. In July 2019, the project received major project status from the Northern Territory government, ensuring local support in development and construction. The Australian government awarded the same status in July 2020, expediting construction by facilitating coordination and permitting. Singapore has not yet permitted the project, but benefits for it include long-term electricity price stability, the potential to become a hub for trading renewable electricity in the Southeast Asian power grid, and meeting its agreements to cut emissions under the Paris Agreement. Undersea surveying of the Australian section of the (AAPL) cable route was completed in 2020 by Guardian Geomatics. A project development agreement was signed between Northern Territory and Sun Cable in January 2021, providing for commercial partnership. An Integrated Project Delivery Team (IPDT) composed of multi-disciplinary international partners was announced in October 2021, including Bechtel (Project Delivery),

Hatch Ltd Hatch is a global multidisciplinary management, engineering and development consultancy. Its group companies have more than 9,000 staff in 70+ offices. In 2015, Hatch was ranked as a top 20 International Design Firm according to the Engineering N ...

(HVDC Tramission),

Marsh A marsh is a wetland that is dominated by herbaceous rather than woody plant species.Keddy, P.A. 2010. Wetland Ecology: Principles and Conservation (2nd edition). Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, UK. 497 p Marshes can often be found a ...

(Risk Management), PwC Australia (Project Advisory) and SMEC (Solar Generation System). Construction is projected to require 1,000 jobs, and operation will have 300 jobs in the Northern Territory. Australia is the world's largest exporter of coal. The AAPowerLink, along with the proposed wind and solar Asian Renewable Energy Hub in the

Pilbara The Pilbara () is a large, dry, thinly populated region in the north of Western Australia. It is known for its Aboriginal peoples; its ancient landscapes; the red earth; and its vast mineral deposits, in particular iron ore. It is also a g ...

, would make it a "green energy exporting superpower." In March 2022, it was announced that Sun Cable raised A$210m (€139m) Series B capital to fund the continued development of the project. The round was led by Grok Ventures and Squadron Energy. It is expected to deliver first supply of electricity to Darwin in 2026, Singapore in 2027 with full capacity by end of 2028.

References

External links

Australia-Asia Power Link
{{DEFAULTSORT:Australia-ASEAN Power Link Electric power transmission systems in Australia HVDC transmission lines Proposed electric power transmission systems Proposed solar power stations in Australia Electric power infrastructure in the Northern Territory Proposed electric power infrastructure in Australia Proposed electric power infrastructure in Singapore Companies based in the Northern Territory Barkly Region Proposed buildings and structures in Australia

Design

Development

See also

References

Further reading

External links