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Sun Cable starts working on transmission line between Australia and Singapore

Singapore energy company Sun Cable has awarded a contract to Guardian Geomatics to conduct a route survey for a 3,800 km-long high voltage direct current (HVDC) cable between Darwin, in Northern Australia and Singapore. Project preparations will start in late May 2020 and the route survey will be initiated later in 2020. Sun Cable expects to reach financial close for the entire project by the end of 2023. Commercial operations are expected to start in 2027. The proposed Australia Singapore Power Link, which has secured the "major project status" from the Northern Territory government, would cover nearly 20% of the electricity consumption of Singapore, reducing the country's dependence on LNG imports.

In July 2019, Sun Cable started negotiations with the state-government of Northern Territory (Australia) for a A$20bn (US$13bn) energy complex that would consist in a 10 GW solar park in Tennant Creek, a 22 GWh battery storage facility and a 4,500 km long power transmission line to supply power to Singapore. In November 2019, Sun Cable received around A$50m (US$33m) in financial support from two Australian billionaires in its plans to develop the project. The funds will help cover the costs of designing the project and obtaining regulatory and environmental approvals.