More often than not, Southeast Asian nations turn to Singapore for assistance with development initiatives. However, the dynamics shift in the context of energy transition, where Singapore’s progress heavily depends on its neighbours.
Should Singapore align with the IEA’s NZE milestones, it will be able to cut its per capita power sector emissions between 2022 and 2035 by 52% to 58%. From Malaysia, Singapore could import solar from Peninsular and hydropower from Sarawak. Indonesia is also a good option for Singapore for solar energy as it also requires “less transmission investments.”
Should Singapore solely import wind, it must invest US$64b-US$100b to acquire 36 GW from onshore and offshore farms. “Regional cooperation, grid infrastructure and renewable energy projects are absolutely important,” the expert said.