Update on Regional Power Grid Trials Commenced in 2022

Mr Chua Kheng Wee Louis asked 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.

Mr Gan Kim Yong: 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 4th 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 LTMS-PIP, including trading capacities beyond 100 MW. 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.

Beyond LTMS-PIP, the Energy Market Authority (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 one gigawatt (GW) of electricity from Cambodia. In September 2023, EMA issued CAs to five projects to import a total of another two 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 four GW of low-carbon electricity by 2035. We will continue to award CAs to proposals that meet our requirements.