Singapore renewables usage hits record high as imports, solar output rise

Domestic solar generation in May rose at the fastest pace since March 2024 and renewable imports rose a third straight month to their highest in more than two years, lifting the share of renewables in the city-state's power mix to 2.58%, data from the National Electricity Market of Singapore showed.

Cross-border power trade is seen as key to easing regional reliance on fossil fuels amid growing data center-driven power demand.

Singapore expects to meet 6 GW, or around one-third of its power demand from clean electricity imports by 2035, as Asia's second-smallest country has limited renewable energy potential.

Gas-fired power plants in Singapore account for about 95% of its power capacity.

In the five months through May, the data showed Singapore imported 122.7 million kilowatt-hours of clean power, or 0.52% of total generation, the data showed.

It did not import any power during the same period last year, the data showed, and only started importing small quantities in the last quarter of 2024.

The share of imports in Singapore's power mix rose for a third straight month in May, displacing some fossil fuel-fired generation.

Singapore's total electricity generation grew 0.4% during the first five months, the data showed.

Singapore has two active cross-border power trade deals: the 200 MW Lao PDR–Thailand–Malaysia–Singapore (LTMS) and the 50 MW Energy Exchange Malaysia (ENEGEM) pilot project with Malaysia's state utility Tenaga Nasional Berhad.

The Singapore Energy Market Authority's chief executive said in October the terms of an extension to the LTMS had yet to be finalised, as Singapore was waiting for Thailand to finalise details on transmission charges for the multilateral deal.

On Friday, the EMA told Reuters in a statement that discussions were "ongoing for future enhancements to the LTMS," without elaborating further.