Three years ago we reported on the Australia-Asia PowerLink (AAPowerLink) project which will supply electricity generated using solar in Australia to Singapore. With the cable reaching 4300 kilometers, It will be the longest undersea electric power supply system in the world.
The AAPowerLink project is now a step ahead after the project received the green light from Australia's Northern Territory Government to begin. It is now going through the next phase to get the approval of the Indonesian government because the cable will pass through the country's waters. The project was supposed to start operating in 2027 but now it may only start in 2030.
When completed, it will supply up to 20 GW of power and also have a battery storage capacity of up to 42 GWh with an estimated cost of $22 billion (~RM102 billion). This is sufficient for 15% of Singapore's power needs.
Land space constraints make it difficult for Singapore to build their own solar and wind farms. Creative solutions such as building solar farms on dams, watersheds and sea surfaces have already been done.