Update |
Australia–Asia PowerLink: Sun Cable’s HVDC mega project progresses
Australian start-up Sun Cable cannot be accused of lacking ambition or optimism. Its Australia–Asia PowerLink project includes 4200 km of subsea HVDC cable connecting Darwin and Singapore
Sun Cable reports it has recently been granted approval from the Indonesian government to survey routes through Indonesian waters, and says it is on track to begin construction from 2024, starting supply of electricity to Darwin by the end of 2026 and Singapore in 2027. It also welcomes the recent announcement by Singapore Minister for Trade and Industry, Gan Kim Yong that Singapore plans to have an electricity import capacity of up to 4 GW by 2035 and will operate a “competitive market process.”
“Subsea electricity transmission technology is not new”, he noted, “in fact, it has already been widely adopted in Europe, UK and Nordic countries for decades. There are numerous new electricity import projects being developed around the world even as we speak.” Sun Cable says it sees an enormous opportunity for Singapore to be a leader in the energy transition, leveraging existing technologies in electricity transmission projects, to build Singapore’s access to renewable electricity and support the development of the ASEAN Power Grid. The company says it is open to expressions of interest from customers in Singapore that want to receive net zero electricity via the Australia–Asia PowerLink and is working with significant potential offtakers, with the aim of forming strategic partnership opportunities for the provision of electricity into Singapore. Sun Cable has also recently announced members of what it calls its Integrated Project Delivery Team (IPDT). These include Bechtel, Hatch, Marsh, PwC Australia and SMEC (a member of the Surbana Jurong Group). The aim of the USD23 billion AAPowerLink project is to harness Australia’s massive solar energy potential and deliver it to Singapore via “the world’s largest renewable electricity transmission network.” It has the potential to reduce carbon emissions by 6 million tonnes per year in Singapore, which would contribute towards meeting Singapore’s 2030 carbon abatement target of peaking emissions at 65 MtCO2
e, says Sun Cable.
“Asia Pacific is significantly behind Europe when it comes to renewables and grid interconnectivity,” says Dr Fraser Thompson, a co-founder of Sun Cable. “However, Asia Pacific has great potential to be a leader in renewable energy import / export.”
Some key project statistics for the Australia–Asia PowerLink
● Solar precinct covering 12 000 hectares that generates 17-20 GWp from solar PV arrays with 36-42 GWh of energy storage to enable 24/7 dispatchable electricity, at Powell Creek near Elliot in the Barkly Region of the Northern Territory, Australia.
● Approximately 800 km of scalable 3.2-6.4 GW overhead transmission line from the Powell Creek solar precinct to Murrumujuk, approx 35 km north east of Darwin.
● Darwin converter site including voltage source converters (VSC), energy storage and network connection to supply up to 800 MW of renewable electricity to the Darwin region.
● Cable transition facilities to enable transition of power cables between land and sea. ● Subsea cable system extending approximately 4200 km from the Darwin converter site to Singapore with approximately 2.2 GW of capacity leaving Darwin.
● Singapore converter station including VSC facility, grid interconnection and energy storage to supply the Singapore grid.
In Europe, around 11.5% of electricity generated is traded among member states, while the corresponding figure for Asia is only around 0.3%, he suggests, noting that interconnection in Europe is supporting a much more robust energy market and Asia needs to invest significantly to catch up. At a recent meeting between Singapore’s prime minister Lee Hsien Loong and Australia’s prime minister Scott Morrison, both governments agreed to strengthen the Australia–Singapore Comprehensive Strategic Partnership (CSP) with a focus on furthering co-operation in low-emissions solutions and expanding the Green Economy Agreement (GEA).
In 2019, the AAPowerlink received major project status in Australia “in recognition of its
12 | November/December 2021 |
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significance and positive potential impact”, Sun Cable says.
Currently, about 95% of Singapore’s electricity is generated from natural gas. Scaling up the country’s capabilities in solar requires improved energy storage technologies. “This is a factor which Sun Cable’s AAPowerlink is addressing, by using game-changing technology to produce the world’s largest solar battery and longest subsea cable system”, the company notes. As a tropical low-lying island state which receives regular rainfall, Singapore is particularly vulnerable to environmental threats and its small size means that it must partner with other countries in the region to meet its sustainability targets, Sun Cable argues, pointing out that “Australia is a reliable
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