Solar Cable, the enterprise backed by billionaires Mike Cannon-Brookes and Andrew Forrest, has revealed the staggering scale of its proposed photo voltaic and battery mission – the most important of its sort on this planet – because it lodges its environmental affect statements.
The mission envisages as much as 20GW of large-scale photo voltaic deployment at Powell Creek, north of the township of Tennant Creek within the Northern Territory, supported by as much as 42GWh of battery storage.
There may also be a brand new 6.4GW transmission line working at as much as 600kV for the 800kms journey to Darwin, which is able to run alongside the hall of the principle north-south railway line, and a photo voltaic manufacturing facility within the Darwin area.
The plan is to offer energy to Singapore through a 4,200km sub-sea cable, but additionally to spice up the native manufacturing business to mop up the excess of low-cost solar energy that will probably be delivered into Darwin.
The plan additionally includes converter stations close to each Darwin and Singapore, and battery storage amenities in Darwin.
A piece camp housing 1,100 individuals will probably be constructed at Powell Creek for the four-year development interval, shrinking to 100-200 individuals throughout operation. The positioning is about 30km west of the principle freeway.
The Solar Cable doc says the mission will scale back world greenhouse fuel emissions by 480 million tonnes, equal to the common electrical energy utilized by over 2.5 million Australian properties every year over the mission lifespan.
It’s going to additionally create 1,750 development jobs within the Northern Territory, and 350 long-term operational jobs within the Northern Territory
“The Photo voltaic Precinct will occupy roughly 12,000 ha of land, with a further 269 ha for 2 entry roads to the Stuart Freeway, and an airstrip,” the doc says.
“The Photo voltaic Precinct can have a peak era capability of roughly 17-20GW, and can comprise a number of large-scale photo voltaic and storage fields of modular photovoltaic (PV) photo voltaic arrays and battery storage.
“Key parts embrace photo voltaic arrays, medium and excessive voltage transmission traces for inner reticulation, distributed Battery Vitality Storage Methods (BESS), Voltage Supply Converters (VSCs) and related electrical infrastructure together with, however not restricted to, transformers, inverters and a change yard.”
Solar Cable says it hopes to start development of the photo voltaic precinct in early 2024. It envisages the mission can have a life span of 70 years, though the photo voltaic element might have to be changed or repowered after 40 years, and the battery element after 15 years.
“The renewable vitality generated by the AAPowerLink has potential to drive financial growth within the NT, by offering a major supply of low-cost electrical energy,” the report says.
“The sort and scale of growth that would happen is tough to foretell, however it’s moderately foreseeable that mining and manufacturing-based industries might be made extra possible by gaining access to this useful resource.”
The report says that the very best rated residual destructive impacts recognized within the EIS are the introduction and unfold of weeds attributable to land clearing, and the potential affect to threatened species on the Darwin converter website and alongside the overhead transmission hall.
Solar Cable says it’s engaged on plans to mitigate these impacts and potential impacts on the seasonal swamp south-west of the Darwin Converter Website, which it says is a regionally necessary habitat and has worth to Aboriginal individuals.
It notes that adjustments to groundwater ranges attributable to groundwater extraction may happen on the photo voltaic precinct throughout development, and says it’s going to rent a hydrogeologist to find out bore areas and sustainable charges of extraction.
Forrest’s Squadron Vitality, which lately poured more cash into the enterprise, together with Cannon-Brookes’ Grok Ventures, stated in a LinkedIn posts that the EIS was necessary milestone for the mission and its dedication to managing the environmental, social, cultural and financial impacts.
Giles Parkinson is founder and editor of Renew Economy, and can be the founding father of One Step Off The Grid and founder/editor of the EV-focused The Driven. Giles has been a journalist for 40 years and is a former enterprise and deputy editor of the Australian Monetary Evaluation.
