Singapore lifts low-carbon power import goal to 6GW

Singapore has raised its low-carbon electricity import goal to 6GW by 2035, up from its initial target of 4GW.

The target has been raised on the back of "strong interest by credible parties to participate in electricity import projects, and to ensure adequate supply to meet Singapore's future energy needs," said the country's Energy Market Authority (EMA) on 5 September.

In line with this, the EMA has granted conditional approvals to two new projects to import 1.4GW of low-carbon electricity from Indonesia to Singapore. The first project is by Singa Renewables, a joint venture between TotalEnergies and energy resources development company RGE, with an import capacity of 1GW. The second is by Shell Eastern Trading in partnership with power producer Vena Energy, with a 0.4GW capacity.

The EMA in September last year granted conditional approvals to five companies to import 2GW of low-carbon electricity from Indonesia. The EMA has now granted conditional licences to the companies, following substantive progress by these five projects.

These conditional licences are issued to electricity import projects that have been assessed to be technically and commercially viable, and are at an advanced development stage. The EMA may subsequently issue the companies an electricity importer license to begin construction and commercial operations, once the obligations under the conditional licenses are fulfilled. The companies aim to begin commercial operations in 2028.

The EMA "will continue to engage companies with credible and commercially viable proposals that can contribute to Singapore's 2050 net zero ambitions," it said.

By Prethika Nair