S'pore grants conditional approval for 4,300km subsea cable to import electricity from Australia

The Energy Market Authority (EMA) has granted Sun Cable Conditional Approval to supply electricity from Australia to Singapore via subsea cables spanning over 4,300 km.

Approval was granted to import 1.75 gigawatts (GW) of low-carbon electricity from Northern Australia into Singapore, announced Second Minister for Trade and Industry Tan See Leng on Oct. 22 at the Asia Clean Energy Summit during the Singapore International Energy Week (SIEW) 2024.

This will account for approximately nine per cent of Singapore's total electricity needs.

According to a press release by the EMA, the project was recognised as "technically and commercially viable" based on the proposal and information submitted.

The imported electricity is expected to harness solar power, and the Conditional Approval will provide the Sun Cable project with the support it needs to continue.

It is slated for operation after 2035.

The project has previously been approved by the Australian government as well.

Decarbonising the power sector

Currently, the power sector accounts for 40 per cent of Singapore's carbon emissions.

The approval comes at a time when Singapore is actively trying to decarbonise its energy supply, one way of which is to import low-carbon electricity.

For one, EMA has a goal of importing 6 GW of low-carbon electricity by 2035.

EMA had also previously shared with Mothership that Singapore is on track to import up to 4 GW of low-carbon electricity by 2035, which would make up about 30 per cent of Singapore's electricity supply by then.

The pathway from a "Conditional License" to "Conditional Approval"

Before the Sun Cable project can be awarded a Conditional License, it will have to demonstrate fulfillment of EMA's required conditions:

1. Comply with EMA’s technical requirements
2. Achieve a commercially viable price acceptable to customer
3. Secure all requisite approvals of relevant jurisdictions, including countries which the cables will pass through

At present, 2 GW of Conditional Licenses for electricity imports from Indonesia have been granted by the EMA, as well as 3.6 GW with Conditional Approval for electricity imports.

Of the 3.6 GW, 1.4 GW comes from Indonesia, 1 GW from Cambodia and 1.2 GW from Vietnam.

The energy is sourced from a mix of solar, hydropower and wind energy plants, said EMA.

EMA to continue exploring decarbonisation pathways

EMA will continue to grant Conditional Approval to companies with credible and commercially viable proposals, and will also continue exploring alternative decarbonisation pathways.

"To keep pace with our energy demand, EMA will continue to engage all companies with credible and commercially viable proposals that can contribute to Singapore’s 2050 net zero ambitions. To ensure adequate supply to meet our future energy needs given growing demand, EMA will continue to grant Conditional Approval to companies with credible and commercially viable proposals. EMA will also continue to explore all decarbonisation pathways for the power sector, including hydrogen, solar, deep geothermal energy, nuclear energy, as well as carbon capture and storage technologies, as part of the energy transition towards a low-carbon future."

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Top image from Sun Cable and Canva