Intertek to support Australia-ASEAN Power Link project

Intertek has landed a contract with Sun Cable to provide marine survey client representation services to assure quality and safety of the Australia-ASEAN Power Link (AAPL).

The AAPL is a proposed 3,750-kilometre international offshore infrastructure project bringing renewable solar energy from Northern Australia to Singapore.

The project will connect the 10GW capacity solar farm at Elliott, Northern Territory, Australia, supplying the Darwin and Singapore grids with renewable electricity and battery storage.

Sun Cable aims to diversify the Singaporean electricity supply with renewable energy, thereby increasing grid resilience and helping it meet its Paris Commitment in greenhouse gas reduction targets.

Intertek experts will be providing a Total Quality Assurance solution that ensures the marine hydrographic, geophysical and shallow geotechnical survey undertaken along the entire AAPL marine cable route through Australia, Singapore and Indonesia is in line with the client’s safety, health, environmental and quality (SHEQ) vision and technical specifications.

The scope of services also includes provision of client representatives for the vessels undertaking the works and associated marine consultancy services.

Andy Page, Intertek Energy & Water’s Site Characterisation and Engineering Lead, said:

“We are very pleased to support Sun Cable in their vision of ‘connecting Australia into the ASEAN Power Grid while providing up to 20 per cent of Singapore’s energy by renewable solar power‘ and providing expert personnel to assure quality and safety during such an exciting renewable energy project.’’

In addition, Sun Cable and the Northern Territory Government (NTG) recently signed a milestone agreement to facilitate the Australia-ASEAN Power Link (AAPL).

The $22-billion project will create about 1500 jobs during construction and 350 jobs during operations, as well as over $1 billion in exports.

Sun Cable expects AAPL’s financial close to be in late 2023, with first electricity to Darwin by 2026 and Singapore from 2027.