Canberra backs Australia power link to Singapore

The Australian government plans to accelerate the planning process for the A$22bn ($15.7bn) project to build a 3,000MW high-voltage power cable to Singapore to transmit electricity generated from a 10,000MW solar farm proposed for the Northern Territory.

Major project status has been granted to Australian-Singaporean private investment firm Sun Cable's proposed Australian-Asean Power Link (AAPL), supported by the battery and solar farm in the Barkly region near Tennant Creek, Australian energy minister Angus Taylor said.

The AAPL project's transmission cable has the capacity to deliver up to a third of Singapore's current electricity demand. Around 95pc of Singapore's electricity is generated by gas-fired plants. The project was previously known as the Australia-Singapore Power Link.

There are also plans to build a 15,000MW solar and wind power project in the Pilbara region of Western Australia, supplying Indonesia and 3,000MW dedicated to mining projects in the Pilbara.

By Kevin Morrison