Sources of Renewable Energy and Plans to Increase Supply from Southeast Asia Region
Ministry of Trade and IndustrySpeakers
Summary
This question concerns Singapore’s renewable energy expansion and regional import plans, as raised by Mr Desmond Choo. Minister Gan Kim Yong reported that solar capacity grew fifty-fold since 2013, targeting at least two gigawatt-peak by 2030. He detailed plans to import four gigawatts of low-carbon electricity by 2035 to meet 30% of projected energy needs. Minister Gan Kim Yong noted conditional approval for Cambodian imports and the 100-megawatt hydropower trial with regional partners. These strategies utilize grid interconnections and innovative solar deployment to address Singapore’s inherent domestic resource constraints.
Transcript
16 Mr Desmond Choo asked the Minister for Trade and Industry (a) how has Singapore expanded its sources of renewable energy over the last 10 years; and (b) what are the future plans to increase import of renewable energy, especially from the Southeast Asia region.
Mr Gan Kim Yong: Singapore has limited sources of renewable energy. We do not have sufficient wind speeds for wind farms, or the rivers needed for hydro-electric power. Solar is a viable source of renewable energy domestically. However, we do not have the land for large-scale solar farms. To overcome this constraint, we have adopted innovative ways to maximise deployment of solar photovoltaic systems, such as on reservoirs. Over the last 10 years, solar deployment in Singapore has grown more than 50 times, from about 16 Megawatt-Peak (MWp) at end-2013 to about 900 MWp as of the first quarter of 2023. We are on track to achieve our solar deployment target of at least two Gigawatt-Peak (GWp) by 2030.
We are also working on the feasibility of importing up to four gigawatts (GW) of low-carbon electricity by 2035. If realised, this could supply about 30% of our projected energy needs in 2035. The Energy Market Authority (EMA) has launched a Request for Proposal (RFP) for parties that are interested to export electricity to Singapore. In March 2023, EMA issued a Conditional Approval for Keppel Energy Pte Ltd’s proposal to import one GW of electricity from Cambodia. We look forward to issuing more Conditional Approvals to other viable projects.
In addition to RFP, Singapore has been working with our Southeast Asian neighbours on small-scale electricity import trials that serve as pathfinders for larger-scale projects. In June 2022, we commenced the Lao PDR-Thailand-Malaysia-Singapore Power Integration Project (LTMS PIP). This imports up to 100 megawatts (MW) of renewable hydropower from Lao PDR via Thailand and Malaysia using existing grid interconnections.