Australia's Green Giant: SunCable Seals Landmark Deal for World-Class Solar Hub
Nov 17
3 min read
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SunCable, backed by tech billionaire Mike Cannon-Brookes, has just secured a crucial 70-year Indigenous Land Use Agreement (ILUA) with Traditional Owners in the Northern Territory. This landmark deal clears the final regulatory hurdle for Australia’s biggest-ever solar and battery project—a global game-changer that positions Australia as a major green energy exporter.
The Deal: 70 Years of Partnership and Power
The agreement, announced on a Monday, is the culmination of over three years of negotiations with more than 200 Traditional Owners from the Janigirulu, Bamayu, and Walanypirri groups, alongside the Northern Land Council (NLC).
Location: The mega-project will be built on a vast 12,000-hectare section of the Powell Creek station in the heart of the Northern Territory's Barkly region.
Final Approval: Having already secured federal and territory government approvals, this ILUA is the final key agreement SunCable needed before finalising customer contracts and commencing construction.
Respect and Benefit: The ILUA is hailed as a model for large-scale energy development, ensuring Traditional Owner voices are central to the project. The agreement includes long-term commitments to:
Employment & Training: Creating pathways for long-term careers and vocational support for local communities.
Economic Participation: Opportunities through business development, procurement, and shared investment.
Cultural Protection: Strict measures for the protection of cultural heritage and sacred sites, guided by Traditional Owner knowledge.
💡 The SunCable CEO noted that the deal proves "large-scale energy projects can be developed in partnership with Aboriginal communities who want to shape their economic future."
The Project: A Shift in Scale and Strategy
The scope of this multi-billion-dollar initiative, known as the Australia-Asia PowerLink (AAPowerLink), is immense, though the initial strategy has been refined to ensure faster delivery and manage capital more effectively.
Massive Scale: The ultimate goal is to generate around 3 Gigawatts (GW) of firmed (24/7) renewable power. This would require an estimated 12 GW of solar capacity and a staggering 45 GWh of battery storage—setting a world record for scale.
The New Focus (Darwin First): The immediate strategy, led by the Grok Ventures-backed company, is focusing on incremental growth to supply the Northern Territory first. This includes:
Green Industrial Hubs: Supplying major new energy-intensive industries around Darwin's Middle Arm Sustainable Development Precinct.
Hyperscale Data Centres: Powering the booming digital sector, including data centres and AI facilities, which require vast amounts of reliable, green electricity.
The Long-Term Goal (Export): The original vision remains: using the world's longest HVDC subsea cable (4,300km) to export up to 1.75 GW of renewable power to Singapore, supporting its decarbonisation goals.
Current News & The Australian Advantage
The timing of this agreement is crucial as Australia ramps up its ambition to become a Renewable Energy Superpower.
Green Industry Magnet: SunCable's ability to provide massive, 24/7 green power gives Northern Australia a unique edge to attract global investment in green hydrogen, sustainable aviation fuels (SAF), and critical minerals processing.
Wider Context: The AAPowerLink is one of several large-scale projects, alongside the government's Capacity Investment Scheme (CIS), that is propelling the development of grid-scale battery storage across Australia, ensuring that this new wave of solar and wind power is reliable and dispatchable.
Jobs and Economic Boom: This project is projected to inject billions into the Northern Territory economy and create thousands of direct and indirect jobs during construction and operation.
💡 Your Next Step in the Green Energy Revolution
This record-breaking project shows the inevitable future of Australia’s energy market: large-scale, reliable, and powered by the sun. But you don't need a multi-billion-dollar project to start saving.
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