Written reply to PQ on Regional Power Grid Trials Commenced in 2022

Question

Mr Louis Chua Kheng Wee: To ask the Minister for Trade and Industry (a) whether the Government can provide updates on the regional power grid trials which commenced in 2022; (b) whether the Government intends to implement full-fledged plans following the trials; and (c) whether there are plans to draw more electricity from the Lao PDR-Thailand-Malaysia-Singapore power integration project beyond the current level of 100 megawatts.

Written Answer by Minister for Trade and Industry Gan Kim Yong

1. From the commencement of the Lao PDR-Thailand-Malaysia-Singapore Power Integration Project (LTMS-PIP) on 23 June 2022 till the end of August 2023, about 270 gigawatt hours of electricity has been imported to Singapore from Lao PDR. At the 4^th LTMS Ministerial Meeting on 24 August 2023, all four countries agreed to continue trading up to 100 megawatts (MW) of electricity. The countries will also discuss enhancing the LTMS-PIP, including trading capacities beyond 100 MW. The LTMS-PIP shows that it is feasible and mutually beneficial for countries in our region to collaborate on cross-border electricity trading. The Project will accelerate our collective efforts towards the realisation of the ASEAN Power Grid, and serves as a pathfinder towards enhanced interconnectivity, energy security and sustainability in our region.

2. Beyond the LTMS-PIP, EMA has an ongoing Request for Proposal (RFP) for importing large-scale low-carbon electricity into Singapore. In March 2023, EMA issued its Conditional Approval (CA) for a proposal to import 1 gigawatt (GW) of electricity from Cambodia. In September 2023, EMA issued CAs to five projects to import a total of another 2 GW of low-carbon electricity from Indonesia into Singapore. If the projects are realised, they will bring us closer to our target of importing up to 4 GW of low-carbon electricity by 2035. We will continue to award CAs to proposals that meet our requirements.