Against the odds: Aussie billionaire Cannon-Brookes snags conditional green light to power Singapore

Sun Cable’s audacious plan to sell solar to Singapore via the world’s longest undersea cables is ‘back in business’ after overcoming commercial doubts and shareholder disputes

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Anita Gabriel

Published Thu, Oct 31, 2024 · 05:00 AM

If successful, Sun Cable, owned by Australian billionaire Mike Cannon-Brookes, could redefine energy trading in Asia-Pacific, proving the viability of long-distance renewable power transmission. PHOTO: BLOOMBERG
Singapore’s conditional approval affirms Sun Cable’s technical and commercial viability —a major endorsement for this solar project of immense scale. PHOTO: PIXABAY

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AUSSIES love nothing more than proving doubters wrong, Australian tech billionaire Mike Cannon-Brookes told me in an interview just over a year ago.

He was responding to scepticism about Sun Cable’s audacious A$30 billion (S$26.1 billion) plan to power Darwin – and Singapore – through giant solar farms and the world’s longest undersea cables.

This mammoth undertaking was earlier derailed when Cannon-Brookes and fellow billionaire Andrew Forrest – both co-owners – clashed on the project’s Singapore cable component, leading Sun Cable into administration in January 2023. After nearly six months of negotiations, Cannon-Brookes secured control of the company.

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