World’s ‘largest solar precinct’ approved by Australian government

Associated Press

NEWCASTLE, Australia (AP) — An ambitious plan to build a massive solar farm in remote northern Australia to transmit energy by a submarine cable to Singapore is a step closer after the Australian government granted environmental approvals for the $19 billion project on Wednesday. Australian company Sun Cable plans to build a 12,400-hectare solar farm and transport electricity to the northern Australian city of Darwin via a 500-mile overhead transmission line, then on to large-scale industrial customers in Singapore through a 4,300-kilometer (2,670-mile) submarine cable. Energy has been a politically charged issue for nearly two decades in Australia, which is reliant on coal- and gas-fired electricity as well as royalties from exporting those fuels to help underpin its economy.