Regional Power: Singapore grants conditional approval for 1.75 GW of imports from Australia

By Romel S. Gurky

The Energy Market Authority (EMA) of Singapore announced on Monday that it has granted conditional approval to Sun Cable (Singapore) Assets Pte Ltd to import 1.75 gigawatts (GW) of low-carbon electricity from Australia, marking a significant step in Singapore's long-term energy decarbonization strategy. The electricity, generated from solar power in Australia's Northern Territory, will be transmitted via a 4,300 km subsea cable to Singapore.

The conditional approval indicates that the project is technically and commercially viable based on the submitted proposal. Sun Cable is expected to meet certain conditions, including compliance with technical requirements and achieving an acceptable price for customers, before it can receive a full license. The commercial operation is projected to begin after 2035.

Read also: Regional Power: Singapore doubles power import capacity in ASEAN Power Grid Initiative

This approval is part of Singapore's broader goal to import around 6 GW of low-carbon electricity by 2035 as it transitions to a cleaner power sector, which currently accounts for 40% of the nation’s carbon emissions. EMA has already granted 2 GW of conditional licenses for electricity imports from Indonesia, along with 3.6 GW of conditional approvals from Indonesia, Cambodia, and Vietnam. These projects aim to diversify Singapore’s energy mix with solar, hydropower, and wind power, contributing to the ASEAN Power Grid.

As Singapore works toward its 2050 net zero target, EMA continues to evaluate proposals for clean energy solutions and explore various decarbonization technologies, including hydrogen, solar, geothermal, nuclear, and carbon capture, it said.

Editing by Alexander Ginting