An environmental agency says it cannot yet support one of Australia’s most ambitious solar projects – as its scale and location threatens one of Australia’s most endearing but endangered bush icons - while long-time detractors warn the project does not “make sense”.

SunCable, backed by Mike Cannon-Brookes' investment fund, is looking to build a 50,000-hectare solar project at Muckaty Station in the Top End.

The company hopes the project in the Barkly region could generate as much as 20 gigawatts of electricity, surpassing the capacity of a coal-fired station ten-fold.

SunCable claimed they have courted interest from private companies interested in investing in datacenters based nearby, and have already received several approvals for a smaller 12,000-hectare solar farm at a nearby Powell

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