Singapore To Import Clean Electricity From Vietnam
Wind farm in Quy Nhon, in central Binh Dinh Province. | Source: Shutterstock
Singapore is teaming up with Vietnam, Indonesia, and Malaysia to bring in cleaner energy. Singaporean companies, supported by Temasek, are working on projects to import eco-friendly energy sources like hydrogen, wind, and solar power from ASEAN countries.
Singapore’s Energy Market Authority (EMA) approved Sembcorp Utilities, backed by Temasek, to import clean electricity from Vietnam. This electricity will mainly come from offshore wind power. Singapore is looking into more projects to ensure a stable and cost-effective energy supply.
“The electricity will primarily be from offshore wind power, which Vietnam is blessed with,” Singapore’s Second Trade and Industry Minister Tan See Leng told Nikkei Asia. “We are now studying the possibility of taking in more electricity import projects, taking into account energy security and cost considerations.”
Also Read: Vietnam Among Leaders In Renewable Energy Shift In Asia-Pacific
Sembcorp Utilities is also partnering with Vietnam’s Petrovietnam Technical Services Corporation to use renewable energy. Singapore, being small in size, is turning to its neighbors for clean energy due to limited land for energy generation.
Regional power grids can speed up the use of renewable energy and reduce our reliance on fossil fuels, according to the energy watchdog EMA.
Singapore plans to import four gigawatts of clean electricity by 2035, enough to power 400 million LED bulbs, according to the U.S. Department of Energy.
“Hydrogen and its derivatives remain one of the most promising substitutes for natural gas in power generation,” said Wong Kim Yin, chief executive officer of Sembcorp Industries, the parent of Sembcorp Utilities. “We endeavor to co-develop a viable low-carbon hydrogen supply chain in ASEAN that will diversify energy sources for both countries.”
City Energy, a subsidiary of Singapore’s Keppel Infrastructure Trust, is working on a similar project with Malaysia. They’re looking into a pipeline to bring hydrogen from Malaysia to Singapore, supporting both countries’ goal of achieving net-zero emissions by 2050.
Singapore is making significant strides in bringing cleaner energy from its neighbors, promising a greener future.