Australia's Northern Territory gives major status to whopping 10-GW solar plan

The project for the world’s largest solar park, a 10-GW complex in Australia that will supply power to Singapore, has won Major Project Status from the Northern Territory government.

The so-called Australia-Singapore Power Link (ASPL) scheme, calling for an investment of AUD 20 billion (USD 14.1bn/EUR 12.5bn), was proposed by Singapore’s Sun Cable Pty Ltd and, if constructed, will supply “competitive, stably priced” renewables electricity to Darwin, the Northern Territory’s capital, and Singapore through a high-voltage direct current transmission. The giant photovoltaic (PV) farm near Tennant Creek will be coupled with a storage system of between 20 GWh and 30 GWh.

In a press release on Friday, the Northern Capital’s chief minister Michael Gunner said his government will now negotiate a project development agreement (PDA) with the developer, which will serve as a framework for their collaboration during the permitting process. This stage will start with an environmental impact statement and a territory benefit plan.

According to the statement, local contractors are already being engaged and the developer will seek prefabricated solar farm technology in Darwin and Adelaide. The Singaporean firm estimates the project will potentially open 1,000 jobs during the construction phase and 300 positions required for the power plant’s operation.

(AUD 1.0 = USD 0.704/EUR 0.627)

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