Suncable gets EMA conditional approval for green energy plan
Next step is conditional license.
SunCable's massive, audacious project to send renewable power over 4,200 km has entered the next stage with EMA's conditional approval.
EMA today announced the conditional approval of Australia's SunCable plan to supply 1.75GW of renewables to Singapore via subsea cables.
Largest solar project
I've previously written about SunCable, which wants to build one of the largest solar parks in Australia's Northern Territory - and sell some of that electricity to Singapore.
In August, SunCable obtained the regulatory go-ahead from the Northern Territory government and its environment agency.
Singapore had never commented publicly about the project, despite SunCable saying it has received positive feedback from buyers here.
So this is big news.
Massive undertaking
Additional information from a Business Times report today:
- Solar panels will be 17 to 20GW-peak.
- Battery storage systems 37 to 42GW-hour.
- 3GW output: 900MW to Darwin; the rest to S'pore.
Strangely, there appears to be no mention of wind power for base load and reducing the need for battery energy storage.
Construction is expected to cost US$24.6 billion, which will begin after achieving financial close by 2027.
What happens now?
The current plan is for SunCable to export 2GW of transcontinental transmission to deliver an eventual 1.75GW of electricity to Singapore.
EMA's announcement doesn't automatically mean that the project will happen. A conditional approval merely means it considers the proposal to be:
- Commercially viable.
- Technically viable.
To get a "conditional license", SunCable will need to:
- Meet EMA's technical requirements.
- Secure supply chain for solar panels.
- Undertake subsea surveys in Indonesia.
- Get approval from Indonesian authorities.
The project won't happen quickly. If all goes well, expect electricity to start flowing after 2035.
A renewable energy hub
I've always shared why I felt EMA is keen for SunCable to succeed, despite having inked deals to import renewables from our neighbours in Southeast Asia.
It makes sense to get renewables from further afield, bearing political and geographical considerations in mind.
But a new angle has just occurred to me: From ammonia for ships, aviation biofuel for planes, electricity via subsea cables - and perhaps even hydrogen for data centres...
Singapore is setting itself up as a renewable energy hub for the region even as it works overtime to meet its sustainability obligations.
What do you think?
