Singapore power demand seen accelerating in next decade
Singapore's expansion in advanced manufacturing, technology and electrification of vehicles will accelerate growth in power demand over the next decade, the chief executive of its Energy Market Authority said.
Electricity consumption will grow between 2% and 5% through to 2035, EMA CEO Puah Kok Keong told Reuters, compared with an average growth of 1.9% over the 10 years ending 2024, data from energy think-tank Ember showed.
Power usage by data centers and rising air conditioning demand in Singapore are driving faster growth in power use compared with regional neighbors Australia and Japan, despite being among the world's highest per-capita energy users.
"As electricity-intensive industries continue to expand – such as in advanced manufacturing, the digital economy, and electrification of the transport sector – we anticipate continued growth in electricity demand," Keong told Reuters.
While most of the higher demand is set to be powered by natural gas, which accounts for over 95% of its electricity generation. Despite a scarcity of land, Singapore is ramping up domestic renewable output and hopes to boost imports of clean power from neighbors.
Singapore is targeting the import of about six gigawatts of low-carbon electricity by 2035, which it expects to account for around one-third of power by then. The country currently imports about 1% of its low-carbon power from Malaysia.
Grid interconnection is key to cutting Southeast Asia's growing reliance on fossil fuels. In 2022, EMA announced what it called an "historic" deal for Singapore to import hydropower from Laos, through Malaysia and Thailand.
However, Thailand is yet to finalize terms of an extension to the multilateral deal. Malaysia's energy minister told Reuters this month that Thailand had delayed renewing the deal due to "local political changes," but he expects Bangkok to finalise a resumption by November.
"The flow from Lao PDR is expected to begin soon," Keong said, without elaborating.
Singapore also aims to start power imports from Indonesia in 2028, but imports "from further afield" may only materialize closer to 2035, Keong said.
"Cross-border electricity import projects are complex and require extensive coordination between multiple governments, regulators, and developers. These projects may take several years," he said.
Related News
Related News
- ExxonMobil halts 1-Bft3d blue hydrogen project in Texas
- 236-mile Texas-to-Gulf pipeline reaches FID in $2.3-B LNG expansion push
- Bechtel shares findings of tragic accident at Port Arthur LNG facility
- Aramco and Yokogawa commission multiple autonomous control AI agents at Fadhili gas plant
- Ukraine will resume gas imports via Transbalkan route in November
Comments