SINGAPORE - Construction work for a new mega floating solar farm is expected to begin at Kranji Reservoir in 2025, now that an environmental study has found that the installation of solar panels is unlikely to have a major impact on the biodiversity there.
According to the Energy Market Authority , Singapore’s solar capacity is at around 1.2GWp as at the first quarter of 2024. The results of the environmental study were published online on June 7, and concluded that impacts of the construction and operation of the solar farm on biodiversity in the reservoir could be “adequately managed with mitigation measures”.
These species, which consist of migratory and resident waterbirds, feed mostly on the reservoir’s fish, and often forage in the central western area of the shoreline – close to the Kranji marshes – and the southern part of the reservoir, the report noted. Some migratory waterbirds also feed on the reservoir’s aquatic plants.
Doing so can also help to mitigate potential impacts to water quality, which may indirectly arise due to the lack of light penetration, and changes to wind drag and heat exchange, said the report.