Australian developer Sun Cable, backed by tech billionaire Mike Cannon‑Brookes, plans to build up to 10 GW of solar capacity on 12,000 ha in the Top End. A 4,300 km under‑sea cable would carry up to 1.75 GW of that electricity to Singapore, roughly a quarter of the city‑state’s typical demand.

Today, solar provides only about 3 % of Singapore’s electricity. With less than 750 km² of land, expanding rooftop or floating solar farms is difficult, and the country relies on about 95 % natural gas, much of it imported as LNG.

Puah Kok Keong, chief executive of the Singapore Energy Market Authority, says Singapore aims for net zero by 2050 and has set a target of importing up to around 6 GW of clean energy by 2035.

James Bowen, industrial decarbonisation lead at the Institute of Energy Economics and Financial Analysis, warns the cable would be six times longer than the world’s longest existing subsea link. He highlights high cost, the need for multiple regulatory approvals across Indonesia, and geopolitical risks such as seismic activity and dependence on a single line.

Both Singapore’s regulator and Sun Cable’s backer say the project remains under consideration, provided it can meet security, cost and low‑carbon criteria. Puah added that Singapore will keep an open mind but will not accept any price that compromises those goals.