On 25 October 2021, EMA announced that two Requests for Proposal (RFP) will be issued for up to a total of 4 gigawatts (GW) of low-carbon electricity imports into Singapore by 2035, as part of Singapore’s efforts to enhance energy security by diversifying energy supply sources. This is expected to make up around 30% of Singapore’s electricity supply in 2035. The remaining supply will continue to come from various sources, ranging from the current natural gas-fired power plants to solar and waste-to-energy sources.
Companies interested to participate in the RFP process may refer to the following pages for the details and submission process of the first and second RFP respectively.
Guide to Electricity Imports
Document Link (version 1.1, updated as of 1 Jul 2022)
To provide regulatory clarity on how electricity imports will be treated in Singapore’s electricity market, EMA is publishing this guide that sets out the policy and regulatory approach that governs how electricity imports may enter into Singapore. EMA reserves the right to amend the guide as necessary, to ensure electricity imports is best able to meet Singapore’s needs.
Electricity Imports Trials & Pilot
To prepare for future electricity imports, EMA has been working with various partners over the last two years on trials to import electricity. The trials allow EMA to assess and refine the technical and regulatory frameworks for importing electricity into Singapore. These include:
100 Megawatts (MW) Electricity Imports Trial from Peninsular Malaysia
The Request for Proposal for Electricity Imports Trial has concluded. Learn more about the trial.
Pilot with the Consortium led by PacificLight Power Pte Ltd
EMA is embarking on a pilot with a consortium led by power generation company PacificLight Power Pte Ltd (PLP), to import 100 MW equivalent of non-intermittent electricity from a solar farm in Pulau Bulan, Indonesia. Electricity will be supplied via a new interconnector that directly connects a solar farm in Pulau Bulan to PLP’s power station in Singapore.
Lao PDR-Thailand-Malaysia-Singapore Power Integration Project
The Lao PDR-Thailand-Malaysia-Singapore Power Integration Project (LTMS-PIP) successfully commenced on 23 June 2022. Under this project, up to 100 megawatts of renewable hydropower will be traded from Lao PDR to Singapore via Thailand and Malaysia using existing interconnections. This marks a historic milestone as the first multilateral cross-border electricity trade involving four ASEAN countries, and the first renewable energy import into Singapore.
SP Group’s Involvement in Electricity Imports
As the electricity transmission licensee and transmission agent licensee regulated by the Energy Market Authority (“EMA”), SP PowerAssets Ltd (“SPPA”) and SP PowerGrid Ltd (“SPPG”) are required to conduct their authorised business of providing grid services in a non-discriminatory manner. Further, the conditions of SPPA’s and SPPG’s licences prohibit SPPA and SPPG from disclosing confidential information for any purpose, other than that for which it was permitted by licence, code or market rules. SPPA and SPPG are also prohibited from using any confidential information for any commercial advantage in the provision of any service other than a service comprised in the authorised business. Failure to comply will render SPPA and SPPG liable to enforcement action under Sections 13 and 14 of the Electricity Act.
Specific to electricity imports, SPPA and SPPG (as the electricity transmission licensee and transmission agent licensee regulated by EMA) will provide timely and objective technical guidance, grid specifications and clarification to parties interested to bid for importer licences and shall not accord undue preference to any interested party.
Separately, SP Group may work with partners to develop generation capabilities in other countries and construct and operate interconnectors (including offshore subsea transmission cables) in order to strengthen regional grid architecture and better plan for future network requirements to maintain reliability standards. These projects will be housed in SP Group entities that are separate and distinct from SPPA and SPPG. SP Group will comply with conditions set forth by EMA including maintaining any necessary functional/operational separation.
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