By Jack Gramenz

The tech billionaire backing Australia’s biggest solar farm has remained coy on details of when building the mammoth project will power ahead after its approval.

The SunCable Australia-Asia Power Link was approved by federal Environment Minister Tanya Plibersek on Wednesday and is expected to generate 4GW of renewable energy, much of which will be exported through an overland and under-sea cable.

The 12,000-hectare solar farm is destined for a former pastoral station near Tennant Creek in the Northern Territory in a project that includes an 800km transmission line to Darwin and on to Singapore.

But Atlassian chief executive Mike Cannon-Brookes, who is investing in the project, would not reveal when he expected building would start on the $30 billion venture or if financing had been set.

“Super credit to the SunCable team, major milestone for them today,” he told reporters.

“It is a huge project, it is a decade-long initiative to try and make a huge change in Australia’s export industry … we see these milestones as being really important.”

SunCable is targeting a final investment decision by 2027.

“Today’s announcement is a vote of confidence in the project and SunCable itself as responsible stewards of the local NT environment,” SunCable Australia’s managing director Cameron Garnsworthy said.

The firm is still working with Singaporean and Indonesian authorities on approval for its subsea connection to the Asian city-state.

Ms Plibersek said the giant solar farm and transmission lines would boost the NT economy as well as elevating Australia’s renewable-energy status globally.

“It will be the largest solar precinct in the world – and heralds Australia as the world leader in green energy,” she said.

“Australians have a choice between a renewable energy transition that’s already under way creating jobs and driving down prices or paying for an expensive nuclear fantasy that may never happen.”

She said the project would deliver almost six times more power than a 700MW large nuclear reactor could deliver, criticising what she called “an expensive nuclear fantasy” being pitched by the opposition.

The approval was lauded by the Climate Council, whose head Amanda McKenzie said it would accelerate Australia’s transition away from coal-fired power.

“The SunCable project shines a light on the cleaner energy grid we’re building here and now and is a bold step in seizing the power of the sun to make Australia a clean energy powerhouse,” she said.

“Major new projects like SunCable will keep driving up the dominance of solar and wind – delivering affordable energy and slashing climate pollution.”

The SunCable project had early support from billionaire Andrew “Twiggy” Forest along with Mr Cannon-Brookes, with the latter winning the battle to acquire the firm after it was placed in voluntary administration in January 2023.

The pair had disagreed over whether the project’s planned transmission of electricity to Singapore was viable, with Mr Cannon-Brookes confident it was.