Sembcorp Utilities Private Limited, a subsidiary of Sembcorp Industries, and Sarawak Energy Berhad (SEB) have received conditional approval from Singapore’s Energy Market Authority (EMA) to import approximately 1 GW of renewable energy from Sarawak, Malaysia. SP PowerInterconnect will serve as the project’s technical partner. Operations are expected to begin around 2035, with power sourced mainly from hydropower facilities in Sarawak, certified under the Hydropower Sustainability Standard. Electricity will be transmitted via a 700-km subsea cable, marking Singapore’s first large-scale 24/7 renewable power import initiative.
The project will enhance regional energy cooperation, strengthen energy security, and form part of the ASEAN Power Grid initiative. The consortium has signed a preferred supplier agreement with Prysmian, a global provider of high-voltage submarine and underground cable systems, to optimize design, installation, and protection requirements for the subsea interconnector. Further agreements and preparatory actions will follow as the project moves toward implementation.
Moreover, with this second conditional approval—after an earlier 1.2 GW approval for imports from Vietnam—Sembcorp’s total planned renewable imports now stand at 2.2 GW, contributing significantly to Singapore’s goal of importing 6 GW of low-carbon electricity by 2035.