Sun Cable sets sights on interconnecting Asia

Announced at Singapore International Energy Week in tandem with its introductory white paper, “Connecting Asia: One region, one grid,” Sun Cable and 9 corporate and research institutes are partnering to establish the Asia Green Grid Network (AGGN) with the goal of connecting renewable energy across Asia.

AGGN seeks to advance regional green grids, that is carbon-free grids composed of renewable resources. The white paper forecasts that by achieving 15% grid interconnection by 2040 an estimated 3,335 TWh could be traded in the Asia Pacific annually. That trading estimate translates to $760 billion (USD 493 billion) and would abate 3,070 MT of carbon dioxide every year.

“Cross-border trade of renewable electricity and grid integration is the cornerstone of a successful clean energy transition in Asia,” says Sun Cable Founder and Chief Strategy Officer Fraser Thompson. “Our vision for the Asia Green Grid Network is for this network to play a leading role in supporting the innovation to make this happen.”

AGGN brings together partners and collaborators including Surbana Jurong, the Agency for Science, Technology and Research, the National University of Singapore Faculty of Science, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore (NTU Singapore), Singapore Institute of Technology, the University of New South Wales, the University of Adelaide, James Cook University and Charles Darwin University.

Surbana Jurong’s Energy and Industrial Managing Director Tan Wooi Leong says “the energy transition is rapidly gathering momentum across ASEAN,” and noted that the AGGN would facilitate the deep knowledge sharing needed for an integrated and stronger green grid.

According to the white paper there is no shortage of technical challenges facing the cross-border green electricity grid that could transform Asia. These challenges include “voltage improvements to minimise transmission losses in high voltage direct current (HVDC) cable through finding ways to support dispatchability and energy security through high density energy storage systems.”

The AGGN has assigned itself three core roles, to educate, to collaborate, and to innovate. According to Renate Egan, CEO of the UNSW Energy Institute at the University of New South Wales, an institution storied in innovation, “Access to renewable energy through reliable transmission infrastructure will be key to facilitating the energy transition in Asia. The goal of the AGGN is to drive innovation and solutions connecting systems across borders to accelerate Asia’s transition to renewable energy.”

AGGN plans to expand its network of research institutions and corporations from other parts of Asia.

Sun Cable’s AAPowerLink project has had a series of promising progressions in 2022, with the Australian government’s independent infrastructure advisory body, Infrastructure Australia, giving the project’s economic credentials the tick of approval in June. In May, the Territory government passed legislation to streamline existing processes and increase certainty for Sun Cable developers.