Singapore’s Energy Market Authority (EMA) has granted Conditional Approvals to Sembcorp Utilities Pte Ltd and Southern Solar Alliance Pte Ltd to import a combined 900 MW of electricity from Peninsular Malaysia. Sembcorp Utilities has received approval for a proposed capacity of 300 MW, while Southern Solar Alliance, a wholly owned subsidiary of Malaysian developer Ditrolic Energy Holdings Sdn Bhd, has received approval for 600 MW.
The projects will supply electricity generated from solar power and battery energy storage systems in Johor. The two companies are working towards commencing commercial operations around 2029 and must obtain the required approvals, conclude power purchase agreements with buyers, secure financing and complete other project development milestones before reaching financial close.
The approvals build on bilateral energy cooperation between Singapore and Malaysia, including an earlier Conditional Approval for the import of 1 GW of low-carbon electricity from Sarawak to Singapore. Singapore Energy Interconnections, SP Group and Tenaga Nasional Berhad have also signed a Joint Development Agreement to conduct detailed feasibility studies for a second electricity interconnection of up to 2 GW between Singapore and Peninsular Malaysia. EMA said low-carbon electricity imports form part of Singapore’s strategy to decarbonise its power sector, which accounts for 40 per cent of the country’s carbon emissions. To date, EMA has granted Conditional Approvals and Conditional Licences to 13 electricity import projects from Australia, Cambodia, Indonesia, Malaysia and Vietnam.