The 20 billion Australian dollar (around twelve billion euros) plant is to be built in a remote region in the north near Elliott, where the land is flat and the solar radiation is higher than in only a few other regions in the world. The giant solar power plant is to generate six gigawatts of electricity on 12,400 hectares.
Four gigawatts of the green electricity are intended for domestic consumption, two gigawatts for Singapore, which is to be supplied via an 800-kilometer-long overhead line and a 3,750-kilometer-long submarine cable. Once completed, the gas-dependent island state could meet 15 percent of its electricity needs from this source. The project is called Australia-Asia Power Link and is being managed by the Australian company SunCable.
Path to becoming a “world market leader”
The approval is subject to strict conditions to protect nature. For example, the project must avoid the habitat of the Greater Bilby, a small, rabbit-like marsupial with long, floppy ears, Plibersek said. In July, the project went through an environmental approval process with the Northern Territory government and the territory’s environmental authority.
“This huge project is an infrastructure project that will shape a generation,” Plibersek told ABC. Australia is thus becoming the “world leader in green energy.” The size of the Australian solar power market is expected to reach almost 42 gigawatts in 2024 and grow to 80 gigawatts by 2029 at an annual growth rate of 14 percent.
Exit from coal
In fact, Australia is currently one of the world’s largest exporters of fossil fuels, especially coal, which is particularly harmful to the climate. Private households in the country have been relying heavily on their own solar systems for some time, but conservative governments in recent years in particular have been reluctant to switch to renewable energy sources.
IMAGO/AAP/Mick Tsikas Australia’s Environment Minister Plibersek is pushing ahead with the “world’s largest solar park”
In 2022, green electricity met 32 percent of Australia’s needs, while coal-fired power met 47 percent. While the current center-left government is pushing ahead with renewable energy projects, the opposition is betting on building nuclear power plants to replace coal-fired power by 2050, in a country where nuclear power is currently banned.
“Australia has some of the best solar and wind resources of any country,” said Ken Baldwin, director of the Energy Change Institute at the Australian National University. The continent has one of the highest average solar irradiance per square metre, one of the highest proportions of residential rooftop PV systems and the world’s leading solar PV technology.
“World premiere” for export of green electricity
However, it is still lagging behind when it comes to the development of medium and large solar and wind power plants. These are now being pursued with increasing intensity, says Baldwin. The solar park project that has now been approved is a “world first” for the export of renewable electricity from solar and wind energy on this scale.
The head of the operating company SunCable Australia, Cameron Garnsworthy, described the green light from Canberra as a “significant step” on the way to realizing the project. However, a number of approvals are still pending. The Energy Market Authority of Singapore, the Indonesian government and the representatives of the Australian Aborigines still have to give their approval. SunCable is aiming for a final decision by 2027. The solar park is expected to produce electricity from 2030.
