Singapore’s Energy Market Authority (EMA) has granted conditional approval to Sembcorp Utilities Pte. Ltd. to import 1 GW of low-carbon electricity.
Under the terms of the agreement, Sembcorp Utilities will work with its consortium partner, Malaysia’s Sarawak Energy Berhad, to import the electricity from hydropower sources within the Malaysian state of Sarawak to Singapore.
A statement from EMA says it preliminarily assessed the consortium’s project proposal to be technically and commercially viable.
The project partners will now need to secure requisite approvals from relevant jurisdictions for the project to progress. EMA’s conditional approval means it will provide the consortium with regulatory support to continue developing the project, which is currently expected to reach commercial operations around 2035.
EMA’s statement adds it will continue to engage all companies with “credible and commercially viable import proposals” that can help decarbonise the country’s power sector.
Singapore currently relies heavily on imported fossil fuels but, according to analysis by the International Solar Energy Society, could import solar energy from nearby nations Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand and Australia through undersea HVDC cables.
In September 2024, EMA gave conditional approval to a collaboration between Shell and Vena Energy to export 400 MW of solar power from the Riau Islands in Indonesia to Singapore.
In June 2025, the governments of Singapore and Indonesia signed an agreement to build a solar panel industry in the Riau Islands as part of wider plans to enable cross-border clean energy trading between the two nations.
A recent report from the International Energy Agency said integration of solar and wind energy across Southeast Asia will be crucial to meet the region’s growing electricity demand.
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