SYDNEY • Australia granted "major project status" to an A$22 billion (S$21.7 billion) plan to export power from a giant solar farm to South-east Asia via undersea cable. The status recognises the project's "strategic significance", which is expected to inject billions of dollars into the economy and create thousands of jobs, Minister for Energy and Emissions Reduction Angus Taylor said in a statement yesterday.

The Australia-Asean Power Link envisions connecting the solar farm and battery system in the Northern Territory to Singapore and Indonesia via a 3,700km undersea cable. Similar proposals for long-haul, transnational shipments have been pursued in other regions, including from North Africa to Europe.

The high-profile boost by the Australian government contrasts with the relatively muted interest from Singapore, which is expected to be its main customer. Singapore's Energy Market Authority acknowledged in November that it had met the project's developer, Sun Cable, but has shown little public appetite in the venture. It did not immediately respond to a request for comment yesterday.

Sun Cable says the project can supply a fifth of Singapore's power needs. The project, backed by Atlassian co-founder Mike Cannon-Brookes and Fortescue Metals' founder Andrew Forrest, plans to start marine survey work next month. The firm aims to start commercial operations in 2027.

BLOOMBERG