Ensuring Energy Resilience and Supply Stability Given Increased Renewable Energy Deployment
Ministry of Trade and IndustrySpeakers
Summary
This question concerns Mr Edward Chia Bing Hui’s inquiry regarding Singapore’s energy resilience and the measures taken to manage intermittency risks from increased renewable energy deployment. Minister Gan Kim Yong stated that solar capacity reached 1.7 GWp by June 2025 and is managed using regulation reserves and battery energy storage systems (BESS). To ensure reliability, developers of regional electricity imports are required to mitigate intermittency through source-based BESS or other energy solutions. The Ministry maintains stringent standards through real-time system monitoring and continued investments in new grid infrastructure and technologies. These comprehensive strategies aim to ensure a stable power supply as Singapore incorporates more solar power and imported energy into the grid.
Transcript
18 Mr Edward Chia Bing Hui asked the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Trade and Industry (a) what is the Ministry's assessment of Singapore's energy resilience and grid stability in light of the anticipated increase in renewable energy deployment; and (b) what measures are being taken to manage intermittency risks and ensure reliability of supply.
Mr Gan Kim Yong: Our main renewable energy today is solar energy. We have about 1.7 gigawatt peak (GWp) of solar photovoltaics deployed in Singapore as of June 2025 and we are making good progress towards meeting our current target of 2 GWp by 2030.
The average amount of electricity from solar energy at any point in time is much lower. No electricity is generated at night and in daytime, solar generation fluctuates with cloud cover and weather patterns. To address the intermittency, the Singapore energy market provides regulation reserves, which are generation capacities used to balance minute-to-minute variations in electricity consumption and generation output. Additionally, Energy Market Authority has deployed battery energy storage systems (BESS) to provide instantaneous response to demand and supply fluctuations. The BESS can store energy generated during periods of high power output and discharge the energy when required. These measures keep our power supply reliable.
Another potential source of renewable energy for us is via electricity import from the region. We will require the developers of these projects to mitigate intermittency through the use of BESS at source or other energy solutions.
As we further increase the deployment of solar energy in Singapore and introduce imports and new energy sources, we will continue to maintain stringent reliability standards, perform real-time monitoring of system demand and network conditions, and invest in new grid infrastructure and technologies, such as BESS, to ensure a reliable power supply.