Singapore Greenlights New Plans to Import Malaysian Clean Power

(Bloomberg) -- Singapore gave conditional approval to import low-carbon electricity from a 1-gigawatt project planned in Malaysia’s Sarawak state, while also agreeing to explore a new 2-gigawatt cross-border link with Peninsular Malaysia.

The Sarawak connection will supply mostly hydropower and is expected to start operation in 2035, Singapore’s Energy Market Authority said Friday. A feasibility study is planned for the Peninsular link, which could open by the end of the decade, according to a separate statement from Singapore Energy Interconnections Pte Ltd, SP Group, and Tenaga Nasional Bhd.

The cross-border connections are part of resource-scarce Singapore’s efforts to shore up energy security and meet climate goals by connecting with up to 6 gigawatts of overseas renewable energy capacity over the next decade. The gas-reliant city-state has also approved projects to bring in solar power from Indonesia and Australia, and is exploring pulling in wind power from Vietnam.

“Low-carbon electricity imports form a key part of Singapore’s strategy to decarbonise the power sector, which currently accounts for 40% of our carbon emissions,” the EMA said. Singapore currently imports power from Laos via Thailand and Malaysia. 

Singapore’s Sembcorp Utilities Pte Ltd and Sarawak Energy Bhd are consortium partners on the Sarawak project, which still needs additional approvals. The two firms signed Italian cable-maker Prysmian S.p.A as their preferred supplier, the Business Times reported in March.

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