Solar power provider Sunseap Group and utility Tenaga Nasional Berhad (TNB) have created a joint venture to trial importing renewable electricity from Malaysia to Singapore.
The two entities have united to participate in a tender that will trial clean electricity imports in the region, part of Singapore’s ongoing attempt to increase the share of renewables in its power mix. The nation’s Energy Market Authority (EMA) unveiled the energy import trial project last October. It is now due to issue a Request for Proposal (RFP) this month for 100MW of electricity imports.
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If successful, 100MWac of electricity from renewable sources will be sent to Singapore, and could account for 1.5% of its peak electricity demand, Sunseap said in a statement. The trial could start by the end of this year, using the existing electricity interconnector between the countries.
Sunseap, which has a portfolio of around 1.7GW of solar completed or under development in Australia, China, Taiwan, Japan and other parts of Southeast Asia, is not the only renewables group exploring importing into Singapore. In Australia, developer Sun Cable is working on a solar-plus-storage project that aims to supply 20% of Singapore’s electricity demand. The Australia-ASEAN Power Link project (AAPL), which includes a high voltage direct current (HVDC) system connecting a 10GW solar / 30GWh storage facility near Darwin with Singapore, was marked as a priority initiative by advisory group Infrastructure Australia last week (26 February).
Frank Phuan, Sunseap’s co-founder and chief executive said the partnership with Tenaga Nasional would “contribute to Singapore’s long-term efforts to power our future through clean and green energy sources.”
The partnership between the two entities would develop Sunseap’s capabilities as a leading sustainable energy provider in the region, he said, and would also increase the availability of clean energy in Singapore. Phuan noted that this could be particularly beneficial for building a stronger relationship with data centre operators and the technology industry.
“We hope this demonstrates to our partners and potential partners Sunseap’s strong end-to-end project development and management competencies and our ability to complete a project within a tight deadline,” he said, “and we look forward to more opportunities to power the country’s economic growth in a sustainable manner.”
Potential importers, according to EMA’s guidelines, will need to demonstrate their own reliability as suppliers, credibility and ability to get consumer demand, as well as manage ” the carbon output of generation supply”.
Datuk Ir. Baharin Din, president and chief executive officer of Tenaga Nasional, said the partnership with Sunseap is “an important piece to continue our ongoing international RE expansion strategy”.
The joint venture, he said, “provides a solid regional platform with the capabilities, capacity and network to grow our RE and utility businesses in Southeast Asia.”
