Australia mulls plan to export renewable energy to Indonesia
Plans to transmit electricity via a 2,500 km (1,500 mile) undersea cable to Indonesia from a wind and solar installation in Western Australia have been submitted to authorities, with approval possible by 2020. Vestas Wind Systems, InterContinental Energy and CWP Energy Asia are among the backers of the proposed Asian Renewable Energy Hub (AREH), which envisages a plant producing 4 GW of power of wind and 2 GW of solar. Indonesian investors are being sought for the project, which is hoped to start sending power across the ocean by 2029.
An ambitions 6-GW wind and solar project in Western Australia that would export power to Indonesia has moved on after developers, among which Vestas Wind Systems A/S (CPH:VWS), submitted the scheme for environmental review in Australia.

The complex in the East Pilbara region is planned to include at least 4 GW of wind and 2 GW solar power facilities. According to the project website, a final investment decision could be taken in 2020.

The partners behind the Asian Renewable Energy Hub (AREH) plan are renewable energy project developers CWP Energy Asia and InterContinental Energy, in addition to Vestas. They have been engaged in development works and viability assessment for three years and are now looking for local partners in Indonesia for equipment manufacturing, construction and investment, Vestas said on Wednesday.

"The scale of the wind turbines, solar panels and related equipment needed for the Project would be large enough to justify building new manufacturing facilities in Indonesia [...]," Vestas said.

The plan is to use components made in Indonesia and, when the park is operational, export electricity to the country via subsea high-voltage transmission cables. The complex is expected to become fully operational by 2029, generating power for over seven million homes in Indonesia, according to the project's website.

The first phase of the ambitious development is estimated to require about USD 10 billion (EUR 8.42bn) in investment. Subsequent phases envisage the delivery of renewable power to other countries in South East Asia, apart from Indonesia, Vestas said.

(USD 1.0 = EUR 0.842)

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