Singapore’s Energy Market Authority (EMA) has announced conditional approval for the import of 900MW of electricity generated from solar and battery storage systems in Johor, Malaysia. Sembcorp Utilities and Southern Solar Alliance will each develop the projects, with commercial operations targeted for 2029, according to reports.
The Singapore EMA announced on August 7 that it had granted conditional approval to two projects for importing electricity from Peninsular Malaysia. It is reported that Sembcorp Utilities proposed a capacity of 300MW, while Southern Solar Alliance, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Malaysian developer Ditrolic Energy Holdings, proposed 600MW. Both projects are reported to rely primarily on solar power generation and battery energy storage systems in the Johor region. The developers must still obtain approvals from relevant jurisdictions, conclude power purchase agreements (PPAs) with buyers, secure financing, and complete various project development milestones before commercial operations can begin, it is reported.
Singapore has reportedly set targets for importing low-carbon electricity by 2035 and has been pursuing grid interconnections with multiple countries. This approval is reported to reflect the continued expansion of Singapore-Malaysia energy cooperation, following earlier feasibility studies and cooperation agreements.
Whether the developers can successfully conclude power purchase agreements and secure financing to meet the 2029 commercial operation target is seen as a key point of interest. Progress on other power import projects that Singapore is expected to approve from additional countries is also being closely watched.