| Australia–Asia Power Link | |
|---|---|
 Map of Australia–Asia Power Link | |
| Location | |
| Country | Australia |
| State | Northern Territory |
| Ownership information | |
| Owner | Sun Cable |
| Construction information | |
| Expected | 2027 (projected)[1] 2030 (Darwin) |
| Commissioned | A$35 billion |
| Technical information | |
| Power rating | 17-20 GW |
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.
Initial plans forecast that a new solar farm in the Northern Territory of Australia would produce up to 20 gigawatts of electricity, most of which would be exported to Singapore, and at a later point Indonesia, by a 4,300 km (2,700 mi) 3 GW HVDC transmission line.[2] A large battery would store energy in order to level energy availability as sunlight varies throughout the day.[3] AAPowerLink has been developed by an Australian company Sun Cable, initially backed by Andrew Forrest and Mike Cannon-Brookes. It was projected to begin construction in mid-2023, with operation starting in early 2026 and completion by late 2027,[1] and estimated to add A$8 billion to the economy of the Northern Territory.[4][5]
The project collapsed in January 2023, after Sun Cable was placed into voluntary administration following a disagreement between Forrest and Cannon-Brookes about the need to put more funding into the venture.[6][7] In May 2023, a consortium led by Cannon-Brookes' Grok Ventures won the bid to acquire Sun Cable,[8] with the takeover finalised on 7 September 2023. The revised plans involve supplying electricity to Darwin by 2030, and to Singapore a few years thereafter. Eventually the solar farm would produce 6 gigawatts of power.[9]
- ^ a b "Power Generation | Singapore | Sun Cable". Sun Cable. 24 November 2020. Archived from the original on 9 August 2020. Retrieved 24 November 2020.
- ^ "Our Projects | SunCable". www.suncable.energy. Retrieved 1 September 2024.
- ^ "Australia Fast Tracks Approval Process for $16 Billion Solar Power Export Project". Reuters. 30 July 2020. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 3 November 2020.
- ^ Whitlock, Robin (20 October 2021). "Sun Cable announces global expert team to deliver the Australia-Asia PowerLink project". Renewable Energy Magazine. Archived from the original on 23 November 2022. Retrieved 21 October 2021.
- ^ Carroll, David (28 January 2021). "Major milestone for world's biggest solar project". PV magazine Australia. Retrieved 29 January 2021.
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
:6was invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ Mercer, Daniel (22 January 2023). "Sun Cable demise shows renewable energy mega projects 'really hard'". ABC News. Retrieved 7 February 2023.
- ^ Morton, Adam (26 May 2023). "Mike Cannon-Brookes wins control of Sun Cable solar project from Andrew Forrest". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 26 May 2023.
- ^ Hannam, Peter (7 September 2023). "Sun Cable: Mike Cannon-Brookes takes charge of 'world-changing' solar project". The Guardian. Retrieved 9 September 2023.