A potential undersea cable linking Western Australia to Java in Indonesia, which would export solar power, has been posited by a private consultant with a potential cost of between $6 and $10 billion.
According to reports from WestBusiness reported in Australia, Geoff James, a private consultant, has proposed an undersea cable of 2,000 kilometers, which would connect the Pilbara and Kimberley in northern Western Australia to Java in Indonesia. James is working on a pre-feasibility study which he will deliver to the Pilbara Development Commission in January.
“We have been assisted by project partners who have advised us that it is a ‘technical stretch’ but it is quite feasible,” he said. “The technology does exist and it has been trialed at various lengths, various scales, various depths across the globe. They are developing the technology very rapidly.”
According to James, the project which he was commissioned to study is both financially viable and could be possible within a decade. Specifically, the project would likely require a solar farm with a radius of between 10 kilometers and 15 kilometers to be built in the Pilbara and Kimberley, as well as a high-voltage direct cable-transmission route stretching between the two locations.
“This could be our key pillar of our relationship with Indonesia, a symbol of mutual benefit, the ability to improve its clean energy and meet its very ambitious growth targets,” he said. “The main challenges are the relationships and the business models to make this work.”
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