Amidst the global push for energy transition, an unprecedented renewable energy program in the Northern Territory of Australia has achieved a critical breakthrough. SunCable, a renewable energy developer, recently announced that it has officially signed an Indigenous Land Use Agreement with Indigenous land rights holders in the Powell Creek area, removing significant obstacles to the massive AAPowerLink project and laying the foundation for green power supply in the Asia Pacific region.

One of the world's largest light storage complexes

According to the agreement, SunCable will construct a comprehensive renewable energy project called "AAPowerLink" in the Barkly area of the Northern Territory. The project plan includes a solar photovoltaic power station with an installed capacity of up to 17-20GW, equipped with a 36-42GWh battery energy storage system. After completion, it will become one of the largest renewable energy generation and storage bases in the world. Among them, the Powell Creek solar power station covers an area of about 12000 hectares, located about 70 kilometers southwest of Elliott. The area is recognized as one of the regions with the best sunshine sustainability in the world, and the flat terrain also provides ideal conditions for project construction.

This Indigenous Land Use Agreement not only brings an end to years of community consultations, but also establishes a collaborative framework for employment training and business opportunities, while committing to continuously protecting local cultural heritage during project construction and operation. SunCable emphasized that the agreement covers the Elliott community and the wider Barkly area, and has received joint support from the Northern Land Commission and the Northern Territory government.

Cross border green electricity trade and policy support

The AAPowerLink project not only received formal approval from the Australian federal government in 2024 domestically, but its international influence is also gradually emerging. The Singapore government has granted conditional approval for the project, allowing the import of solar power from Australia. This decision paves the way for the construction of a 5000 kilometer high-voltage direct current transmission system, which will enable large-scale cross-border renewable energy transmission in the future and is expected to become a model for global green electricity trade.

SunCable positions AAPowerLink as one of the world's largest comprehensive renewable energy demonstration zones, integrating photovoltaic power generation, energy storage systems, and advanced voltage source conversion technology. The project aims to fully leverage Australia's abundant solar energy resources and meet the growing demand for clean energy in the Asia Pacific region through 24/7 stable power supply. Keywords: international engineering news, foreign engineering project information, foreign engineering construction news

Indigenous land use agreements play a crucial role in the development of large-scale renewable energy projects in Australia. This agreement not only reflects the respect and protection of indigenous rights within the legal framework, but also provides a social license and implementation path for the landing of commercial projects. The successful collaboration between SunCable and traditional landowners in Powell Creek demonstrates that a development model that is fully negotiated and mutually beneficial can bring substantial benefits to the community, while promoting the achievement of national energy strategies and global carbon reduction goals. With the signing of this milestone agreement, the Northern Territory of Australia is gradually moving towards the core of the global green energy map. Editor/Xu Shengpeng