Malaysia’s Sarawak state aims to supply up to 1 GW of renewable energy to Singapore by 2032, with negotiations to provide the electricity through submarine cables, according to Sarawak Energy Berhad (SEB).
The 1 GW of energy, mainly coming from hydropower, accounts for a quarter of Singapore’s low-carbon electricity import target by 2035.
Singapore plans to import 4 GW of low-carbon electricity, including renewable energy, by 2035 to meet about 30% of its power needs.
SEB is leading the negotiations with a consortium led by Singapore’s Sembcorp Industries. The parties are working towards a power exchange agreement and are finalizing the technical and commercial terms for exporting energy, said James Ung Sing Kwong, the COO of SEB group.
He mentioned that the deal has been under negotiation for more than three years.
Higher costs and power losses during transmission to Singapore now are not a concern now because of new submarine cable technology, Ung said.
He said, “From the Sarawak side, we need to get sufficient power ready for Singapore, and we need to strengthen transmission lines on land to supply the energy. Singapore will be responsible to build the 700 km submarine cables to supply the energy, which could take around six to seven years.”
Ung said Indonesia would also need to give its endorsement because the cables will be laid in Indonesian waters. “I can tell you that all parties are committed to make exporting renewable energy to Singapore a reality.”
The total installed capacity of Sarawak Energy’s large hydropower plants is 3,452 MW.
