Green light for the world's largest solar park
With its large deposits of coal, oil and gas, Australia is one of the world's largest exporters of climate-damaging fossil fuels and also one of the biggest CO2 emitters in the world. The country now apparently wants to push ahead with the energy transition. Canberra has granted environmental approval for a huge solar park, which will also be used to export electricity to Singapore via a 4,500-kilometer-long power line.
Breaking the dominance of coal
After Russia and Saudi Arabia, the fifth continent is the third largest exporter of coal, which is mainly supplied to the Asian region. The conservative governments of recent years have strongly supported the expansion of fossil fuels, while private households have long relied on renewable energies. However, the energy landscape is changing as companies realize that their markets for fossil fuels will shrink massively in the coming years and are investing in alternatives. Last year (2023), for example, the foundation stone was laid for the world's largest hydrogen plant by mining billionaire Andrew Forrest, who wants to use it to make the operation of his mines climate-neutral.
Highest average solar radiation
Australia, with its almost 26 million inhabitants, produces around 15.5 tons of CO2 emissions per capita per year. Green electricity covered only 32 percent of Australia's demand in 2022, while coal-fired power covered almost half (47 percent). "Australia has some of the best solar and wind resources of any country," explained Ken Baldwin, Director of the Energy Change Institute at the Australian National University. According to Baldwin, the continent has the highest average solar radiation per square meter, one of the highest proportions of PV systems on residential roofs and the world's leading solar PV technology.
Largest solar park in the world
Australian Environment Minister Tanya Plibersek said the 12,000-hectare solar farm in the remote Northern Territory would create 14,300 jobs and make Australia a "renewable energy superpower".
"This massive project is a generation-defining piece of infrastructure. It will be the largest solar area in the world - and make Australia the world leader in green energy," said Plibersek in a statement on the occasion of the environmental approval. However, it is subject to strict conditions to protect nature. Important species such as the Great Bilby must be protected and critical habitats must be completely avoided.
"New large-scale projects like SunCable will continue to drive the dominance of solar and wind power - delivering affordable energy and reducing climate impact," Climate Council Executive Director Amanda McKenzie said in a statement, further explaining:
"With the imminent closure of coal-fired power stations, Australia needs to accelerate the expansion of solar and storage power at all levels - rooftops, large-scale projects and everything in between."
The Australia-Asia Power Link project, led by the Australian company SunCable, is to generate 6 GW of renewable energy, a third of which is to be transmitted to the Southeast Asian city-state of Singapore via a submarine cable.
SunCable, owned by billionaire co-founder of US-Australian software company Atlassian and climate activist Mike Cannon-Brookes, announced that the project will meet up to 15 percent of Singapore's energy needs when it is completed in the early 2030s.
Still a few hurdles along the way
However, a number of approvals still need to be obtained before the final decision can be made. Firstly, SunCable still has to negotiate agreements on land use by indigenous peoples with various traditional owner groups along the transmission line to Darwin. Secondly, approval is still required from the Singapore Energy Market Authority and the Indonesian government. SunCable hopes to start production at the solar park from 2030.
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