IES Pilot Launch

The Energy Market Authority (EMA) has spearheaded a pilot project for an "Intelligent Energy System" (IES). Announcing the launch on 19 November 2009 during the Smart Grids 2009 Summit, as part of the Singapore International Energy Week, Mr Lawrence Wong, Former Chief Executive of EMA, said, "With this pilot, we will lay the foundations for an even more intelligent energy system in Singapore. We will bring the capabilities of our power grid to the next level and ensure that our electricity infrastructure is ready for the future".

Why have an IES Pilot?

Across the world, governments and companies are looking at ways to modernize their electricity transmission and distribution networks with new information, communication and sensor technologies. Singapore already has a high-quality power system, which is amongst the most reliable in the world. Nevertheless, there is scope to leverage on new technologies to further improve the capabilities of our power grid. This pilot project represents a first step in the move to develop a smarter grid for Singapore.

What we want to achieve?

The IES pilot project seeks to test and evaluate new applications and technologies around a smart grid. The success of the IES pilot project will enable EMA to adopt and roll out workable solutions for Singapore’s power system, thereby enhancing its efficiency and resilience, reducing wastage, shaving peak loads and deferring capital investments to meet consumer demand in the future. This will also lead to lower energy costs and reduce carbon emissions.

Who will be involved?

EMA has appointed Accenture Pte Ltd to design and implement the IES pilot project. The IES pilot will be conducted in two phases. Phase 1 (2010 - 2012) will focus on the implementation of the enabling infrastructure for the IES. The key infrastructure components are the advanced metering infrastructure (commonly referred to as 'smart meters') and the communication system.

Accenture has been awarded a contract to implement Phase 1 of the IES pilot project and will be working with its selected partners including ST Electronics (Info-Comm Systems), Oracle, Hewlett Packard, Power Automation, Control4 and Greenwave.

Phase 2 (2012-2013) of the pilot will focus on the smart grid applications. Customers with the smart meters installed in their premises will be able to experience the benefits of the IES through various services offered by the electricity retailers. In Phase 2 of the pilot, other companies may be brought in to provide smart grid applications and services.

Please refer to EMA’s press release for more information on this project.

In order to test different technologies and evaluate their benefits, EMA has separately called an open tender to procure about 4,500 smart meters to be used in the IES pilot project. The tender document can be downloaded from the Singapore government e-procurement portal GeBIZ. The tender has closed and EMA is currently evaluating the proposals.