SunCable recommits to Australia-Singapore link under new owner

The new owner of SunCable is moving forward with a focus on delivering its flagship project, the Australia-Asia Power Link (AAPowerLink), which seeks to provide green energy to Darwin in the Northern Territory, Australia and to Singapore.

The sale of SunCable’s assets to Grok Ventures, an investment company of Australian billionaire Mike Cannon-Brookes was completed on Thursday.

AAPowerLink could deliver around 6 GW of firmed renewable energy in multiple stages, SunCable said yesterday. The first stage is planned to involve at least 900 MW for domestic use to supply large industrial customers, including in the Middle Arm Sustainable Development Precinct in Darwin, and 1.75 GW for delivery to Singapore. Another 3 GW of renewable electricity is planned for customers in Darwin at a later stage.

The company’s immediate steps will include submitting an application later in September for an energy import conditional licence from the Singaporean Energy Market Authority (EMA). SunCable will also continue to engage with the Indonesian government to secure the required licence to install subsea cable through its territorial waters.

According to the announcement, there is no shortage of prospective offtakers as SunCable has so far received expressed interest of about six times its first supply to Darwin, and over 1.5 times its supply to Singapore.

‍SunCable also intends to create an advanced high-voltage subsea cable manufacturing and testing facility, in partnership with global subsea cable manufacturers, to serve AAPowerLink and other projects.

The AAPowerLink ‍project includes a solar precinct in the Northern Territory of up to 20 GW, an 800-km (186 miles) overhead transmission line from the solar precinct to Darwin, and a 4,300-km subsea cable from Darwin to Singapore.

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