SINGAPORE: The Energy Market Authority (EMA) is calling for energy companies to build up to three new hydrogen-compatible power plants in 2031 and 2032 to help meet Singapore’s future electricity needs.
This means that by 2032, there will be at least 11 hydrogen-ready natural gas power plants in Singapore, including four that were completed in 2025.
On April 29, EMA invited the private sector to build one plant to be up and running in 2031, and up to two more in 2032. Each plant is expected to have a capacity of at least 600 megawatts (MW), which can power about 864,000 four-room flats for a year.
Since 2024, all new and repowered natural gas power plants need to be 10 per cent more efficient and be able to draw on at least 30 per cent hydrogen, when the low-carbon energy source becomes viable in the future.
Hydrogen is considered a clean fuel as it does not produce any planet-warming carbon dioxide when burned. Natural gas, on the other hand, is a fossil fuel.
Singapore’s electricity demand has been steadily increasing over the years, partly driven by the high-demand industrial and digital sectors, such as semiconductors and data centres, said EMA in a statement.
These sectors are expected to see continued growth over the next few decades.
The energy regulator forecasts that Singapore’s peak electricity demand is expected to grow by between 2.4 per cent and 4.8 per cent annually over the next 10 years. Peak demand refers to the highest amount of electricity used in a specific period, much like the “rush hour” of power used.
By 2031, the peak demand is forecast to reach between 9.6 gigawatts (GW) and 11.4GW. By comparison, Singapore’s peak demand in 2025 was around 8GW.
A total of 31 power plants are currently generating electricity for Singapore.
While Singapore is planning to green its electricity mix by importing cleaner electricity, ramping up solar power and exploring nuclear energy, among other things, EMA said natural gas power plants “remain essential for providing sufficient and stable electricity supply to meet demand”.
In the first half of 2025, around 93 per cent of the Republic’s electricity was produced by burning natural gas.
Natural gas is considered a transition fuel as the country works to decarbonise its power sector. The country is expected to continue relying on natural gas for more than half of its power generation needs by 2035.
Interested parties can submit their proposals by June 24 for the 2031 plant, and by Sept 30 for the 2032 plants. More information can be found here.
EMA’s chief executive Puah Kok Keong said the new plants, together with existing and planned ones, “will underpin the stable baseload power needed to support our transition to a cleaner energy future”.
In 2023, EMA introduced a centralised process to improve coordination in the building of new power plants and turbines to avoid under- or over-capacity in electricity supply.
Under this process, EMA will forecast electricity demand on a rolling 10-year basis and, if projections indicate insufficient generation capacity, it will invite the private sector to build and operate new plants.
The call for new power plants on April 29 comes after four back-up power units were completed in 2025. Also known as fast-start plants, they are designed to kick-start within minutes if there is a sudden shortfall in power supply.
Electricity retailer PacificLight Power completed its two 50MW back-up units in June 2025, and EMA subsidiary Meranti Power launched its two 340MW fast-start units in October 2025.
In 2026, two 600MW hydrogen-compatible plants are expected to be launched by Keppel and Sembcorp. - The Straits Times/ANN
