Renewable energy developer Sun Cable received approval from Indonesia to build an electricity transmission cable cross through the country’s territorial waters, as reported by Bloomberg on September 23. With a recommended route for Sun Cable, the Indonesian government also issued the subsea survey permit to the company. This is a part of Sub Cable’s flagship project, the Australia-Asia Power Link (AAPowerLink) project, which plans to transfer electricity generated by solar power from Australia to Singapore via a 4200-kilometer undersea high-voltage cable by way of Indonesia.

Founded in Australia and Singapore in 2018, Sun Cable eyes solar energy resources in the Indo-Pacific region. Up to date, its AAPowerLink project is the world’s largest solar power and battery storage project, as well as the biggest high-voltage direct current (HVDC) transmission project globally. According to its website, the project’s solar farm in Darwin, Australia, will have 12,000 hectares of solar arrays with an electricity generation capacity of 17-20 gigawatts-peak (GWp) and could supply up to 3.2GW dispatchable renewable power. Meanwhile, the capacity of its battery energy storage facility will stand at 36-42 gigawatt-hours (GWh). In comparison, the world’s largest solar farm was India’s Bhadla Solar Park with a capacity of 2.25 gigawatts (GW), citing YSG Solar in June. The investment of the project is estimated at over AUD30bn (USD22bn) and Sun Cable plans to finish financing by 2023 and begin construction afterward. The solar farm is expected to start operations in 2028 and to meet 15% of Singapore’s electricity needs through the undersea HVDC transmission system.

Sources:

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2021-09-23/outback-to-singapore-solar-power-bid-clears-indonesia-hurdle

https://suncable.sg/australia-asia-power-link/

https://newatlas.com/energy/sun-cable-australia-singapore-solar-undersea-powerlink/

https://reneweconomy.com.au/sun-cable-worlds-biggest-solar-and-battery-project-expands-again-gets-indonesia-approval/

https://www.ysgsolar.com/blog/15-largest-solar-farms-world-2021-ysg-solar