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SINGAPORE: A trial in which Singapore will import electricity from the Malaysian peninsula will be a “useful first step” in preparation for further moves to connect to the regional power grid, experts said.
Announced in late October, the trial will see Singapore import 100 megawatts (MW) of electricity from Malaysia over two years. This will account for about 1.5 percent of Singapore’s peak electricity demand.
The move is part of Singapore’s plan to strengthen “regional grid architecture,” Trade and Industry Minister Chan Chun Sing said in a keynote address at the opening of Singapore International Energy Week in October.
“This will allow the region to share clean energy sources that different countries may have, and we will start with Malaysia,” he said. “Once the concept takes off, we can extend this to other regional players. . “
READ: Singapore to import electricity from Malaysia in two-year trial
Speaking to the CNA, Professor Subodh Mhaisalkar, who is the executive director of the Energy Research Institute of Nanyang Technological University, said that with the test after the recent announcement about the Laos-Thailand-Malaysia Energy Integration Project -Singapore (LTMS-PIP), connectivity between members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) would be the “ultimate goal”.
“I think the long-term game for us is not just connecting with Malaysia, but the long-term game is connecting with ASEAN. And if ASEAN connectivity can be managed, that will be the ultimate goal and will allow us to achieve our long-term emissions target, ”said Dr. Mhaisalkar.
“So from that perspective, what we are doing with Malaysia for the first two-year test is really preparing for that.”
Earlier this year, Laos, Thailand, Malaysia and Singapore announced their commitment to initiate cross-border trade of up to 100 MW of electricity from Laos to Singapore via Thailand and Malaysia under the LTMS-PIP. This will be done using existing interconnections from 2022 to 2023.
Singapore currently has plans to develop “four switches” to guide and transform the power supply. One of them is finding ways to take advantage of regional electrical networks.
Tan Congyi, Director of the Urban Solar Group at the National University of Singapore (NUS) Solar Energy Research Institute, noted that demonstrating the viability of regional power grids could help “pave the way” for a regional electricity market in the future.
Possible implications include allowing the region to better cooperate on a bilateral or multilateral basis, as well as connecting areas with surplus energy capacity, especially from renewable sources, with areas with a deficit in energy capacity, he explained.
READ: Comment: Importing electricity from Malaysia is a good thing
RENEWABLES ‘PERFECT’
Singapore would be interested in importing carbon power sources as part of the trial, Dr Mhaisalkar noted, and renewables would be “perfect”.
“(The test is) very progressive and, in a way, it would create demand. Once demand creation is happening, then new ideas and new investment opportunities also present themselves, “he said.
At the same time, there could be other positive side effects as a result of the measure, Dr. Mhaisalkar noted. On the one hand, there could be new opportunities for Malaysia to establish solar energy farms, he explained.
“Overall, we are not only contributing to the goals of the Singapore Paris Agreement, but we would also contribute directly or indirectly to the adoption of renewable energy in all areas of ASEAN.”
As part of efforts to address climate change, Singapore’s goal is to halve its peak greenhouse gas emissions by 2030 by 2050 and achieve net zero emissions “as soon as practicable” in the second half of the century. , Coordinating Minister of National Security, Teo Chee Hean said earlier this year. This move is part of the country’s long-term Low Emission Development Strategy (LEDS).
In addition, Singapore will also enhance its Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) to peak emissions by the equivalent of 65 million tons of carbon dioxide around 2030 and expand the scope of its commitment to include a seventh greenhouse gas, the nitrogen trifluoride, within this limit.
The enhanced NDC document updates Singapore’s climate commitment submitted in July 2015 under the Paris Agreement.
READ: Singapore aims to halve peak emissions by 2050, achieve net zero emissions ‘as soon as practicable’ in second half century
Since Singapore has “ample spare capacity” when it comes to conventional electricity generation, importing electricity would only make sense if it helps reduce carbon emissions, Tan said.
This could be in the form of solar electricity from Malaysia orhydropower from Thailand or Laos at a later stage, he noted.
“One of the key challenges Singapore faces in expanding our solar power deployment is lack of space. We also lack other renewable energy resources such as wind or hydropower, ”Tan said.“ So taking advantage of regional power grids is a strategy we can explore to use renewable energy generated elsewhere. The test serves as a useful first step in helping us get there. “
The experts also noted that the test is unlikely to affect the cost and reliability of Singapore’s electricity supply.
“For a normal Singaporean, I don’t think it has any impact,” said Professor Ashwin Khambadkone, who is an associate professor in NTU’s Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering.
“But what (the test) does is it gives us enough knowledge to see how we can handle it when the amount (of imported electricity) increases. That is the purpose of doing the test, ”he said.
“Singapore is already in a situation where we have excess capacity. So from a capacity perspective, we are not limited. Reliability could be a concern if we had capacity limitations, ”added Dr. Mhaisalkar.
“We are not importing energy from an energy security perspective; I think this is more of a game, a long-term game to expand our renewable energy source. “
In its October announcement, the EMA noted that an importer will be selected through an “open and competitive” selection process, and potential importers must demonstrate their reliability in supply, credibility and track record, ability to secure demand from Singapore consumers and manage generation supply carbon production.
READ: Comment: That low-carbon future for Singapore is not so far-fetched
Dr. Mhaisalkar pointed out that if electricity were generated from solar sources, there could be more advantages.
“We are very pragmatic in the sense that (that) the cost of importing electricity will have to be competitive … The cost of electricity from solar energy has been falling so rapidly, that it is cheaper than solar energy today. today than from any other source, “he said. .
“It will definitely be profitable. But there is an advantage that if it really comes from solar electricity, it could be really competitive. “
