Sun Cable’s Australia-Asia PowerLink
The Australia-Asia PowerLink (AAPowerLink) will be one of the largest renewable energy projects in the world. Harnessing solar energy from Australia’s Northern Territory, the project will store and deliver competitively priced renewable electricity into Darwin and Singapore. The project, led by Sun Cable, aims to provide 3.2 Gigawatts of dispatchable electricity and could power up to 15% of Singapore’s electricity needs from 2028.

SMEC, alongside Bechtel, Hatch, Marsh, and PwC Australia, has been appointed as a member of the world-leading integrated project delivery team. SMEC is a key technical partner and, with support of our parent company Surbana Jurong, will be harnessing our solar and renewables expertise and innovation to deliver a project of this size, scale and importance. The power will come from one of the world’s largest solar farms, covering 12,000ha at Powell Creek Station, approximately 800km south of Darwin.

 

Creation, storage and transmission of solar energy at an unparalleled scale

 

The team will integrate a range of technologies and infrastructure to develop one of the world’s largest solar farms (17-20GWp); the world’s largest battery (36-42GWh); and the world’s longest undersea High Voltage Direct Current (HVDC) cable system from Darwin to Singapore (approx 4,200km). Key components of the project include:

  • A solar farm precinct including energy storage
  • High voltage direct current (HVDC) overhead transmission line (OHTL) from the solar farm to Darwin
  • Voltage Source Converters (VSC) and a utility-scale battery in Darwin
  • A subsea HVDC cable system from Darwin to Singapore
  • A VSC and utility-scale battery in Singapore.

The project is expected to begin construction from late 2023, with first supply of electricity to Darwin in 2026 and first electricity to Singapore in 2027 (full capacity by end of 2028).

Client

Sun Cable

Location

Australia and Singapore

Expertise
Solar Energy Energy & Renewables
The Australia-Asia PowerLink will be the world’s largest solar energy infrastructure network and will be a game-changer for the renewable energy sector worldwide. SMEC is excited to be a critical force in bringing this project to life, harnessing our solar and renewables expertise to deliver a project of this size, scale and importance.
— James Phillis - CEO, SMEC Australia and New Zealand

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