Singapore approves 1 GW hydropower import project from Malaysia

<p class="p1"><span class="s1">Singapore has conditionally approved a 1 GW hydropower import project from Malaysia’s Sarawak state, with first deliveries expected around 2035.</span></p><p><span style="font-weight: 400;"><a href="https://www.pv-magazine.com/region/singapore/" rel="noopener" target="_blank">Singapore</a>’s Energy Market Authority (EMA) has granted conditional approval to <a href="https://www.pv-magazine.com/2024/12/31/sembcorp-utilities-activates-588-mw-of-solar-in-oman/" rel="noopener" target="_blank">Sembcorp Utilities Pte. Ltd.</a> to import 1 GW of low-carbon electricity.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Under the terms of the agreement, Sembcorp Utilities will work with its consortium partner, Malaysia's <a href="https://www.pv-magazine.com/2025/09/15/malaysian-utility-plans-solar-expansion/" rel="noopener" target="_blank">Sarawak Energy Berhad</a>, to import the electricity from hydropower sources within the Malaysian state of Sarawak to Singapore.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">A statement from EMA says it preliminarily assessed the consortium’s project proposal to be technically and commercially viable. </span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The project partners will now need to secure </span><span style="font-weight: 400;">requisite approvals from relevant jurisdictions for the project to progress. EMA’s conditional approval means it will provide the consortium with regulatory support to continue developing the project, which is currently expected to reach commercial operations around 2035.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">EMA’s statement adds it will continue to engage all companies with “credible and commercially viable import proposals” that can help decarbonize the country’s power sector.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Singapore currently relies heavily on imported fossil fuels but, according to analysis by the International Solar Energy Society, could </span><a href="https://www.pv-magazine.com/2024/11/11/pathway-to-singapores-solar-development/" rel="noopener" target="_blank"><span style="font-weight: 400;">import solar energy</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;"> from nearby nations </span><span style="font-weight: 400;">Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand and Australia through undersea HVDC cables.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">In September 2024, EMA gave conditional approval to a collaboration between Shell and Vena Energy to export </span><a href="https://www.pv-magazine.com/2024/09/06/singapore-signs-deals-to-import-400-mw-of-renewables-from-indonesia/" rel="noopener" target="_blank"><span style="font-weight: 400;">400 MW</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;"> of solar power from the Riau Islands in Indonesia to Singapore.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">In June 2025, the governments of Singapore and Indonesia </span><a href="https://www.pv-magazine.com/2025/06/20/indonesia-singapore-partner-on-solar-supply-chain-in-riau-islands/" rel="noopener" target="_blank"><span style="font-weight: 400;">signed an agreement</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;"> to build a solar panel industry in the Riau Islands as part of wider plans to enable cross-border clean energy trading between the two nations.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">A </span><a href="https://www.pv-magazine.com/2025/09/24/solar-wind-integration-key-to-growing-electricity-demand-in-southeast-asia-says-iea/" rel="noopener" target="_blank"><span style="font-weight: 400;">recent report</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;"> from the International Energy Agency said integration of solar and wind energy across Southeast Asia will be crucial to meet the region’s growing electricity demand.</span></p>