A massive solar farm proposed for northern Australia would reduce global greenhouse gas emissions by 480 million tons, an environmental assessment has found.
The renewable energy company Sun Cable recently lodged its environmental impact statement (EIS) for the Australia-Asia PowerLink with authorities in the Northern Territory (NT).
The proposed 30 billion Australian dollar (22.3 billion U.S. dollar) project would transmit solar energy harvested in the NT to Singapore via undersea cables.
According to the EIS, it would reduce global greenhouse gas emissions by 480 million tons, equivalent to the average electricity used by over 2.5 million Australian homes each year over the project lifespan.
Plans for the project include a 12,000-hectare solar farm southeast of Darwin in the NT's Barkly region.
The Powell Creek Solar Precinct would have an energy generation capacity of 17-20 gigawatts (GW) and 36-42 gigawatt hours (GWh) of battery storage.
Energy would be transmitted to Darwin and the remaining power would be transferred to a converter station in Singapore along a 4,200-km Subsea Cable System.
The statement said large areas of land will be cleared. However the footprint represents only a small percentage of the total area of available habitat.
It said construction and operation of the Subsea Cable System could have a minor impact on marine life species through temporary loss of habitat or disruption to behavior because of cable laying activities and possible collision with marine vessels.
Editor: Galia
