Singapore seeks bids for up to 3 new power plants as electricity demand rises
The private sector will build, own and operate the new hydrogen-ready natural gas power plants, with one unit due by 2031 and up to two more by 2032, the Energy Market Authority said.
A night view of public housing blocks in Singapore. (File photo: CNA/Ili Nadhirah Mansor)
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SINGAPORE: The Energy Market Authority (EMA) on Wednesday (Apr 29) launched a tender for up to three new power plants to support Singapore’s growing electricity demand.
Under this “request for proposal”, the private sector will build, own and operate new hydrogen-ready power plants, comprising one unit to be ready by 2031 and up to two units to be ready in 2032.
Each generating unit will be a gas-fired, hydrogen-ready power plant expected to provide at least 600 megawatts (MW) of electricity, EMA said.
According to the Economic Development Board, 600MW is enough to power more than 864,000 four-room flats for a year.
Singapore has seen a steady increase in electricity demand over the years, partly driven by high-demand industrial and digital sectors, such as semiconductors and data centres, EMA added.
These sectors are expected to experience continued growth over the next few decades.
Based on EMA’s latest projections, Singapore’s power system peak demand is expected to grow by between 2.4 per cent and 4.8 per cent annually over the next decade.
By 2031, the peak demand is forecasted to reach between 9.6 gigawatts (GW) and 11.4GW.
This announcement comes amid higher electricity and gas prices arising from the ongoing Middle East conflict, which will increase electricity tariffs by an average of 2 per cent in the second quarter of 2026.
Minister-in-charge of Energy and Science and Technology Tan See Leng said in a Facebook post in March that electricity-generating turbines in Singapore are capable of running on both gas and diesel, contributing to the nation’s energy buffers.
These new hydrogen-ready plants “remain essential for providing sufficient and stable electricity supply to meet demand, while Singapore pursues a diversified portfolio of cleaner energy sources for the longer term”, EMA said.
Singapore plans to have at least nine hydrogen-ready power plants by 2030.
“As Singapore’s electricity demand continues to grow, timely investments in generation capacity are critical to ensuring we can reliably power our homes, businesses and daily lives,” said Chief Executive of EMA, Puah Kok Keong.
The new generating units, coupled with existing power plants in Singapore, “will underpin the stable baseload power needed to support our transition to a cleaner energy future”, he added.
Interested bidders will have to use their existing land for the units, EMA said, adding that no additional land plots will be provided beyond bidders' existing leased land, except for energy companies with adjacent plots identified for expansion.
Bids for the 2031 generating unit will close on Jun 24, while bids for the 2032 units will close on Sep 30.
