Singapore announces five-year energy infrastructure development plan — Channel NewsAsia
On October 26, Singapore announced a five-year plan to develop energy infrastructure to meet growing electricity demand. It provides for the commissioning of five gas-fired power plants, expansion of the power grid, an increase in energy storage capacity and a new target for solar generation, Channel NewsAsia reports.
According to Singapore’s Energy Market Authority, peak electricity demand stood at 8.6 GW in August and could rise to 9.9–13 GW by 2031. The authorities attribute this to the development of semiconductor manufacturing, data centres and the spread of electric transport.
New power plants and grids
Five new natural gas power plants are expected to begin operating in the country in 2026–2031. This will increase generation capacity by approximately 26% from the current level of about 12 GW. The regulator is also evaluating proposals for additional gas plants that could begin operating by 2032.
Singapore plans to invest up to S$5.3 billion in expanding its power grid during 2025–2029 — 11 times more than in the previous five years. By 2031, seven new transmission substations are planned, while the length of the high-voltage cable network is expected to increase from about 7,700 to 9,100 km by 2030.
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Solar energy and storage
The authorities have set a new solar deployment target of 4 GW of peak capacity by 2035. Singapore currently has 2.3 GW of peak solar capacity installed, while the previous target called for reaching 3 GW by 2030. Panels are planned for installation on building rooftops, reservoirs and vacant land plots.
At the same time, Minister for Energy, Trade and Industry Tan See Leng noted that even with more active development, solar energy will be able to supply no more than 10% of the country’s projected electricity demand in 2050. The total capacity of energy storage systems is to be increased by 2030 from about 350 MWh to more than 1 GWh.
Singapore is also developing imports of low-carbon electricity. Sembcorp Utilities has received conditional approval to import 1.3 GW of electricity, including power generated by offshore wind farms in Vietnam and solar plants in Malaysia. The company is working to begin electricity imports under this project by 2035.
