Singapore's renewables usage hits record high as imports, solar output rise
SINGAPORE - Singapore boosted the share of renewables in its power generation mix to a record high in May, an analysis of the latest market data showed, as the country ramped up renewable imports and accelerated local solar power generation.
Domestic solar generation in May rose at the fastest pace since March 2024 and renewable imports rose a third straight month to their highest in more than two years, lifting the share of renewables in the Republic's power mix to 2.58 per cent, data from the National Electricity Market of Singapore showed.
Cross-border power trade is seen as key to easing regional reliance on fossil fuels amid growing data centre-driven power demand.
Singapore expects to meet 6 gigawatts (GW), or around one-third of its power demand from clean electricity imports by 2035, as Asia's second-smallest country has limited renewable energy potential. Gas-fired power plants in Singapore account for about 95 per cent of its power capacity.
In the five months through May, the data showed Singapore imported 122.7 million kilowatt-hours of clean power, or 0.52 per cent of total generation, the data showed.
It did not import any power during the same period in 2024, the data showed, and only started importing small quantities in the last quarter of 2024.
The share of imports in Singapore's power mix rose for a third straight month in May, displacing some fossil fuel-fired generation. Singapore's total electricity generation grew 0.4 per cent during the first five months, the data showed.
Singapore has two active cross-border power trade deals: the 200 MW Lao PDR–Thailand–Malaysia–Singapore (LTMS) and the 50 MW Energy Exchange Malaysia (ENEGEM) pilot project with Malaysia's state utility Tenaga Nasional Berhad.
Singapore's Energy Market Authority (EMA) chief executive Puah Kok Keong said in October the terms of an extension to the LTMS had yet to be finalised, as Singapore was waiting for Thailand to finalise details on transmission charges for the multilateral deal.
On June 27, the EMA told Reuters in a statement that discussions were 'ongoing for future enhancements to the LTMS,' without elaborating further. REUTERS
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Business Times
16 hours ago
- Business Times
Singapore eyes breakthrough in landmark regional clean-power deal by October: EMA chief
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Electricity imports are a key strategy for Singapore in its goal to hit net-zero emissions by 2050. While the city-state is also studying alternative energy sources and technologies – such as geothermal power and carbon capture – these will need time to mature, Puah noted. 'Therefore, electricity imports – quite clearly already really feasible, as shown in Europe and many other regions around the world – is something that will be a key strategy for us in the short to medium term to decarbonise,' he said. Revenue support for imports Singapore aims to import 6 gigawatts (GW) of low-carbon electricity by 2035, accounting for about a third of its power demand then. EMA has thus far granted conditional licences to six projects importing clean energy from Indonesia – amounting to a total capacity of 3 GW. Another four projects, with a total capacity of 4.35 GW, have been granted conditional approvals. 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'So we think that the supply of LNG will increase, and that is good for an LNG buyer like Singapore,' he said. Puah also highlighted that Singapore has introduced safeguards since the 2021 energy crisis, when several electricity retailers went bust. These measures include a temporary price cap to mitigate volatility in the wholesale electricity market, as well as more stringent requirements for electricity retailers in terms of paid-up capital and hedging. Another safeguard is the formation of a new centralised gas buyer, Gasco, which can buy fuel contracts of varying durations and contracts, as well as those tied to various price indices. This is so that 'if a particular price index were to shoot up, then maybe only some of my gas supplies are affected', Puah said. 'This diversification across geographies, markets (and) tenures will help to prevent (or) reduce the shock that we have in future if there's a spike in oil and gas prices,' he added. 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Straits Times
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Straits Times
2 days ago
- Straits Times
Life of the party David Colturi has no regrets despite close shaves in high diving career
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His devil-may-care attitude is what he brings to the sport but, with it also comes miscalculations. While paragliding over Lake Lucerne in Switzerland for a promotional stunt in 2018, he hit the water with such force that it caused him to rupture his spleen. That led to internal bleeding, which could have had fatal consequences, had he not been taken to the hospital in time. 'Anybody that gets a near-death experience and a second chance at life is gonna have a perspective change,' Colturi added. 'Of course, I'm still going to make mistakes, and I get caught up in the pressures and the distractions of everyday noise... that stunt was crazy, and if I had the chance to do it again, I would... 'I'd maybe change a few things in the approach, but Red Bull Cliff Diving has done so much for us, and being able to be one of their star athletes and promote the sport in the ways that I did was an honour... I look back at all of it in appreciation. 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